63rd in Line
by the-mean-cucco
Summary: Every 63rd hero of the bloodline is reborn as a woman. With the bloodline at stake, the new hero must over come more obstacles than any other hero. This story has dark and disturbing themes.
1. The push from home

This story has crude jokes, is violent, and has other mature and disturbing material. I place this here as a warning.

I've changed some names to the masculine or feminine versions of them.

Through out the history of Hyrule, the spirit of The Hero has been reborn many many times. This is the tale the hero few know about. As Demise cursed The Hero and Hylia's reincarnation to an endless cycle of vengeance, he placed another curse on The Hero as well. He cursed the hero to be reborn a woman every 63rd generation so as to increase his chance to be able to end The Hero's bloodline all together. This part of the Legend of Skyloft was left out of the stories for different reasons. The Royal family left it out in hopes that no one would seek out The Hero in the most vulnerable time.

Almost 1600 years after the Hylians leave Skyloft:

"Welcome to the 30th annual Harvest Festival games!" announced an older man to a cheering crowd. "As you all know, this is the grand finale of our week long festival. Men from all the Faron villages come together and compete in the wrestling tournament. Some will compete for the glory, some will compete to show off to the ladies... oh, who are we kidding. It's for the ladies." the man said and earned a few chuckles from the crowd.

"Let the fights begin!" he shouted.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd chanted as two men entered the ring.

The two men sized each other up as they got into position to wrestle. They crouched down and waited for the referee to signal the fight to begin. People cheered for their family and friends when they entered the ring. One woman with strange red hair, named Groosina, made several inappropriate remarks about the men. Many of them clearly felt uncomfortable, but that only encouraged her and her two friends.

"Malon vs Cian! This is the final match! Cian is the undefeated champion of the North Faron woods, and Malon is the best Ranch Hand in the South Faron village! On my mark!" the referee shouted. "Go!" he shouted again and the two began to wrestle.

"Isn't Malon dreamy?" asked Cawlina.

"Dreamy? I'm hoping for a wrestling match with him later, if you know what I mean." Groosina (Groose) winked. "What about you Linka?" she grinned, but stopped when she noticed Linka asleep while leaning on the fence.

"Is she really sleeping?" asked Stricha.

"Wake up! There's men busting their testies open for our enjoyment! The least you can do is acknowledge them." Groosina said while slapping Linka hard on the back to wake her and knocking the wind out of her.

The match continued on for a minute longer. Cian managed to get the upper hand through a cheap shot and it looked like he was going to win. Malon shifted his weight and managed to throw Cian and pin him to the ground. After being declared the winner he winked at Linka as the other men carried him on their shoulders to welcome the new town champion. Malon and Cian had been so closely matched for years, but what made this match between the two so important is that this was the year both were looking to get engaged and this was always a great way to impress the women and their families.

"To the goddesses above, I think someone's getting proposed to later!" Groosina winked at Linka while nudging her so roughly she almost fell over. "I saw him with a seed necklace yesterday. You know what men make those for." "She grinned.

"Knock it off Groosina. You don't know that." Linka said with a smile. It wasn't true, she was too embarrassed to say it. She'd seen him making the seed necklace; it was a gift men would give to a woman as he proposed. People would come up with flowery words to describe it, but it was a not to subtle way to ask her to take his seeds. Groosina came up with many dirty jokes about it. They usually made Linka's hair curl from how dirty they were, but they made her laugh just the same.

"Stop being modest," Groosina winked. "You two have been close since you were small and you two have been awfully close lately. Some are wondering if you two have, you know, had a few wrestling matches." Groosina smirked.

"Do you have to make everything sexual?" Linka blushed.

"No, but it's fun." Groosina laughed. "Now come on, there's bound to be a party at Malon's place to celebrate!"

Later at Malon's house:

Everyone in town was at the house and were congratulating Malon on his victory; everyone was drinking and having a great time. Malon (male Malon) carried his head high and had a cocky stride as he took in the attention. Despite all of the female attention he was getting he was searching for one woman in particular. He saw Linka sitting with Groosina at a table outside and swept her up and over his shoulder.

"Put me down asshole!" Linka protested.

"Okay," he chuckled and dropped her. Before she hit the ground he caught her and did a fancy dance move so their noses were touching. "But I won't let you go." he purred.

"Oooooooo," Groosina cooed. "Looks like there's gonna be another wrestling match tonight." she purred.

"Groosina!" Linka groaned.

"You're the one who said it," she teased.

"How about a dance first?" Malon smiled and pulled her into the dance before she could answer.

"So long as you're wearing pants." Linka's Aunt Iggy (Ingo) said drunkenly.

"Auntie!" said Linka with as her face turned beet red.

The two danced for a while and stopped on occasion as everyone doted on Malon's success. The daylight seemed to melt away from how fast it got dark, but both hardly noticed. They enjoyed the party and another successful harvest. They danced to several songs and stopped occasionally to chat with guests. Malon at one point excused himself and said he needed to get something, but would be right back. That's when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"May I have this dance?" Cian asked.

"Uh..." was all Linka could say before he grabbed her.

"Come on, I just got my ass handed to me today in the ring. At least I can end the day on a good note by dancing with a pretty lady." he said with a strained smile.

Cian and Malon had been rivals over almost everything. No one is entirely sure why, but they were enemies the moment they made eye contact. The moment one would get into a sport, the other would join for the sake of trying to beat them. Linka recalled a few times Cian grabbed her butt, but in return she would either kick him in the head or slap him. He really had no interest in her, it was mostly to get in Malon's face. For a period of time she needed someone to come with her to the main market that lay in the middle of all the villages. She was able to fight him off just fine on her own, but Malon began to escort her to and from town when he found out. She hated it at first, but grew to like his attention.

The dance felt uncomfortable. Cian held her tightly with one hand to his chest as though he were going to drag her away, and tightly gripped her hand with the other. Linka reminded herself that there were others around and it was a matter of it staying like that. He was moving them closer to the crowded house and for some reason that didn't ease her fears.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's nothing." Linka said quietly while thinking to herself how much trouble she's in if he knows she's uncomfortable. His wanting to dance was reason enough to be concerned. She didn't know why, but something about his behavior frightened her.

"He's going to propose tonight." Cian said quietly.

"Hm?" this caught her by surprise. Now she was terrified.

"Malon, he's going to propose to you tonight." Cian said with a dark tone. "I just saw him go into the house a minute ago. He's been talking about for a while." it was from this she decided enough was enough and wanted to leave.

She pushed against him and tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp. He tightened his grip on her and began to stare her down. His actions and tone all unsettled her. She had felt happy when Groosina was talking about Malon proposing, but Cian was scaring her. She tried to push away from him, but that made him squeeze more. When she looked around she realized they were behind the house, and they were alone.

"I think I should-" Linka started to say before Cian kissed her forcibly. There was nothing welcoming about that kiss.

"I wanna show you something." Cian said before he shoved her to the ground. Before she could register what was happening he was on top of her again.

"I-" she started before he roughly covered her mouth with this hand.

"It'll be fun, I promise." he said as he began to grope her.

Linka continued to fight back and managed to pushed Cian off her. She got up to run and was tackled back onto the ground and felt him grab her neck. She managed to knee him in the gut before he could put all his weight on her again and ran for the front. Everyone stared at her wide-eyed as she panted from fear and tried to brush off the dirt on her clothes in an attempt to calm herself. Malon stared at her in horror as she visibly shivered in fear. She walked over to him in hopes of being protected, but no one said anything or moved. She buried her face in Malon's chest and gripped his shirt; he did not embrace her. She heard Cian walk out and chuckle at the sight. She couldn't see Malon's face, but Groosina's seemed horrified.

"She's mine," Cian announced. "Snooze, ya lose, Malon."

"No, I'm not." Linka said. Malon put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away to look at her. "I know this looks bad, but I didn't let him." she looked up pleadingly.

"Then what's that around your neck?" Malon asked darkly.

Linka felt her neck to feel a necklace of seeds around it and gasped in horror. She pulled the thing off as though it were a snake. The tears began to flow freely as she stared at the necklace on the ground. She backed away from it and accidentally bumped in Cian which cause her to jump in fear. She looked up at Malon and noticed a seed necklace in his own hand. He looked down at it and then back at her. He then angrily threw the necklace at his feet and stormed off in a huff.

"I didn't accept-"

"Then why were you alone with him?" asked one woman.

"Then why do you look like you just had a romp in the bushes?" another man joined in.

"But he just tried to ra-" Linka stammered.

"We saw you dancing with him." said another villager.

"I was just trying to be nice!" Linka panicked.

"Enough!" said Aunt Iggy as she stepped forward.

"Please Auntie, you know..." Linka pleaded.

"You know the rules. You are to go home tonight with Cian." Aunt Iggy started.

"But!"

"No buts about it. Do as you're told. This is our tradition, we begin wedding preparations in the morning." Iggy said angrily.

"He just tried to-"

"You put yourself into this situation. If you really didn't want it, you could have avoided it. Marriage arrangements will begin tomorrow." Iggy said and walked off. She clearly felt that she'd been to one shamed.

People went to comfort Malon and Iggy for what had happened. Linka got dirty looks from the others; only a few people gave her apologetic looks. Cian had some disapproving glances, but most of the others congratulated him. Some even calling him a man; the only thing Linka got called was a whore. The mood seemed to die quickly as Malon fumed over how he believed his night had been ruined.

The rest of the night seemed surreal. They knew she didn't really accept him, but it was his word over hers and no one cared to hear her side. She was placed on Cian's horse behind him as though she were a sack of potatoes. The ride back was silent as she fought back a wave of nausea. When they reached his house he dismounted and reached up to take her off the horse. He then led her into the house and she followed as though in a trance and felt almost dizzy with fear. Cian set her up in his room and seemed to bathe in her misery.

"Now, where were we?" he purred as he stalked closer to her.

Linka got into a stance and prepared to fight. She felt scared to the point she was shaking. She still had hope she could reason with Malon and convince the others to see her side of the story. She still had hope she would be able to talk her way out.

"Please Cian, you don't wanna do this." she sounded more desperate than she would have liked.

"But I do, I really do want to do this. Besides, you're in no position to fight back." he said with a sadistic smile as he caressed her face. "Just think of the look on his face when I get you pregnant." he said with a throaty chuckle as he backed her up against a wall. "Just give up," he said against her lips before the sound of a rowdy group entered the house.

"Cian! Where are ya?" crowed a very drunk friend of his. "We got some celebrating to do!"

"I'll be back. Get comfortable, this is your home now." he whispered harshly before he turned with a scowl to greet his obnoxious guests.

Once alone Linka cried. She then heard Cian talking a friend about how if he couldn't beat Malon in a wrestling match, he could beat Malon in getting the girl. He even went on to say he planned to "wrestle" with her tonight specifically to get her pregnant ASAP; to him it was the ultimate revenge against Malon.

"Did you see Malon's face!" Cian's friend crowed.

"Yeah, oh was he _mad_! Cian made sure Malon didn't get the perfect ending to his night." another cheered.

"Hey man, can we help you undress her?" another asked.

 _I need to get out of here._ Linka thought to herself as she plotted her escape.

She would have rather grabbed supplies and something to protect herself with, but she was desperate and decided to take her chances. She glanced around the room and found a hunters knife. She also found a hunting cloak, Cian's wallet, and other hunting gear. She geared up and climbed out the window as quietly as possible by jumping into a nearby tree. She was tempted to take one of Cian's horses, but she figured it would be too easy to track her so she decided to go on foot. She walked into the woods while taking a few deep breathes. She knew panicking would do her no good so she walked at a steady pace and began to feel more relaxed as the houses vanished from sight. The sound of crickets soothed her. Once she was out of sight of the house she began to feel calm. Though her heart began to race she felt that she really had a chance to escape.

"Linka! Where are you!" Cian's voice boomed through the darkness.

 _Oh shit!_ Linka thought and began to run.

"She's in the woods! Get her!" Cian commanded. "Following the clanging noise!"

 _Shit! Shit! Shit!_ Was all Linka could think as she bolted through the woods. Had she not been in a rush she could have better secured the hunting tools so they wouldn't make so much noise.

She knew the woods were dangerous at night. People had gotten lost, bandits hid within it, and there was a place called The Lost Woods that was something of legend. The Lost Woods was said to be the home of the Kokiri, a race of forest spirits that remained children forever. It was also supposedly where lost humans turned into Skullkids or Stalfos. She worried about this as she ran deeper and deeper into the woods. Cian's calls sounded close behind her which meant she had to worry about turning into a Stalfos on the run.

 _Fuck it! If I turn into a Stalfos, I'll try to return and haunt the shit out of Cian._ She thought to herself with a chuckle. She wasn't sure if that's how it worked when becoming a Stalfos, but it was worth to risk turning into one than being with Cian.

His voice sounded more and more distant and she slowed down. She panted and leaned against a tree as she tried to calm herself. She felt sick and puked into a nearby bush. She felt a little better, but her heart pounded hard enough she thought it would shoot out of her chest.

"You know, it's dangerous to roam these woods at night." said a man from behind her as he put a knife to her throat.

"It's been a long night, can we do this another time?" she groaned. For some reason, her mind began to lift the cloud of panic.

Before he could answer she elbowed him in the stomach and turned to kick him in the head. He fell to the ground in a heap and didn't move. Linka was worried that she killed him until closer inspection. She quickly stripped him of all his clothing and took off. She would have left him with more dignity than that, but she needed supplies and wanted to search his pockets at her leisure.

After running a long distance she stopped. She leaned against a tree to catch her breath and looked around to find anything to make shelter to see nothing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a purple light whiz by and jumped in fear. She couldn't find the purple light, but she did find some low laying branches. She climbed them to get high into the tree top and managed to travel from tree to tree. She managed to find a tree with a small shelter carved out of it. She figured it meant she was far enough in that Cian wouldn't want to check further, but not enough that she couldn't find her way back. She pulled her hunting cloak over her and used the mugger's dirty clothes as a pillow. She shivered in the cold and curled up. It was too dark to go further, but once daylight came she could find her way around. She wondered if she had wondered far enough in to reach The Lost Woods, but exhaustion took hold and she drifted to sleep.

If she looked into the high branches of the tree across from her she would have seen the purple fairy. He watched her from a distance and slowly flew towards her. He then flew in the direction she came from and vanished.

A/N: Hey everyone! I made this gender-bender fic for the sake of it. Please no flames.


	2. The summons to Hyrule

The next morning she woke up feeling stiff. She missed her bed, but not enough to go back. She curled into a ball in hopes of feeling warmer. Her stomach growled to remind her that she didn't pack any food and wrestled with the idea of waking up, but reasoned that she needed to travel during the day to be safe. She stretched and winced at how sore she was and wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"Wakie! Wakie!" said a glowing purple orb with wings. She had seen fairies before, but this was the first male she'd ever seen.

"Maybe it was all a bad dream," Linka mumbled to herself as she was still half awake.

"Wake up lazy!" squeaked the little voice as it began to swarm her face. When she swatted it away it landed on her head and began to pluck hairs.

"What do you want!" she yelled as she rubbed the sore spot on her head. She then shuttered as she remembered that she was currently on the run. "What do you want?" she said again in a harsh whisper.

"You need to get out of here!" the fairy said urgently as it zipped around her. "They're after you!"

"Who?"

"Linka! Come out!" came a Cian's angry voice. "I see your tracks! Come out and we'll forget _all_ about this little episode!"

"Look in the trees! I see evidense right here that she climbed up!" said someone else.

"Your choice. Wedding bells, or breakfast with me?" the fairy suggested.

"Linka!" his voice sounding closer.

"Breakfast it is!" she answered as she grabbed her things.

Linka gathered her stuff and bolted from her shelter quickly and looked around to see she did a poor job of covering her tracks. She looked for an escape as if her life depended on it because, right now, it really did.

"This way!" the fairy whispered urgently.

She didn't ask questions. She had no idea why she was listening to this fairy, but right now she just needed to escape Cian. The fairy led her through trees with strong branches and silently urged her to jump into them. Then they began to move through the trees with her park-our skills. Soon Cian's voice became distant and before she knew it she was sitting in a nest of food and surrounded by pots of rupees, pots she would soon be smashing. Linka didn't waste time to eat the food around her. The fairy was silent about her stuffing her face, but seemed to panic slightly when she reached for the rum.

"Be careful what you take from here. The bandits might notice if you take too much." the fairy warned. "But then again, you did beat one of them up last night."

"You saw that, huh?" Linka asked apathetically.

"Yeah, he was out for quite a while." the fairy stated. "And he wasn't too happy about waking up without so much as a stitch of clothing."

"Oh well," Linka shrugged as she began to stuff her pockets with rupees.

"What are you doing?" the fairy asked.

"I'm stealing from bandits, who cares?" Linka said with a mouth full of food. "I can use this to _buy_ food later."

"Now you're going to have angry villagers _and_ bandits after you. Please tell me you at least have a weapon and a shield." the fairy sighed. Her silence was his answer. "We're going to get shot before we leave these woods, aren't we?" he sighed.

"There's gatta be a sword and shield around this dump somewhere." Linka said with a wave of her hand. "When do those bandits return?"

"Closer to night fall. Why?"

"Just curious if I can eat dinner here too. What's your name? I'm Linka." she said through a mouth full of food. She was so hungry and uncertain about her next meal that she cared little about her manners.

"I'm Taavi, and I've been sent to guide you on your mission." the fairy exclaimed happily.

"What mission?" she said as she took another bite.

"The mission the gods have sent you on to protect Hyrule, of course! Haven't you ever noticed that birth mark on your left hand?" Taavi asked. Linka spit out her food and started coughing.

"My parents wanted to name me Link after the legendary hero because of it, but since I was a girl they made up a female version of it. Besides, that's just an old fairy tale." she dismissed it.

"Didn't it ever strike you as odd that you have superior fighting to skills to everyone in the village despite not having been trained?"

"Not really, I've been kicking the ass of every male around since I was small because I would watch the boys and try to copy them and Malon-" she suddenly cut herself off. "The only reason Cian got the upper hand last night is because he caught me off guard. It was also the first time I was in a truly scary situation like that." she clarified, Taavi could see the haunted look in her eyes. "I watched others train and just copied their methods in private. That's all it was."

"Hyrule's in danger and needs you." the fairy urged.

"So the goddesses chose a tiny human from a rural farming community that has no magic powers to fight against something nasty that can wipe out entire armies with the flick of its wrist? If so, then it's time to find new gods." Linka rolled her eyes.

"How did you know how powerful the enemy was?" Taavi seemed taken a back.

"Just a hunch." Linka said as she belched.

"This is no joke! Demise is rising and if you don't stop-" Taavi stopped once he realized that Linka was engrossed in some chocolate. "Really! Do you have act so stereotypical!"

"Screw you! This stuff's _good_! Besides, the last 36 hours have been sucked a huge nasty horse dick." she mumbled. "Humor me, describe this Demise guy." She began to swig some rum.

Taavi went on to tell the summary of Skyward sword. How the hero fought Demise when he was imprisoned near the temple. He told of everything the hero had gone through to eventually seal him. He then told her about the battle and then looked at her unexpectedly. He saw the young woman stare blankly at him. She was also a little drunk; the empty bottle told him so.

"So? will you step up and accept your destiny as the hero?" Taavi said with hope and a bit of dismay.

"I don't know what your deal is, but I'm not going." she snorted.

"Why not! It's not like you've got any where else to go!" said Taavi.

"Look, I'm going back to the village. There's someone I need to see first. Besides, what's it to you anyway if I do this or not?"

"If Demise rises again it affects everyone, including the fairies! I volunteered to guide you through the deep dungeons, forests, water, desert, and even the land of the dead." Taavi said.

"I think you're full of crap." she scoffed.

"Think about it, it's not like you've got any where else to go." Taavi huffed. "Besides, the only reason you're going back is in hopes that you can convince your boyfriend to take you back."

"Malon just didn't know what to do. I'll talk to him and he can challenge Cian. In Faron tradition under what happened last night another man can step up and take a woman in if the other male is considered abusive. Everyone knows that Cian has a reputation and Malon is a gentleman. You'll see." Linka said, but mostly to convince herself.

"Do you have any idea how stupid that sounded?" asked Taavi.

"Yes, but I want to clear things up." Linka sighed. "There's gotta be a sword and shield around here somewhere. If I can't get Malon to listen then I'll head out to Kakoriko Village or Castle Town. They're big towns with people who won't ask questions."

"Okay then, shall we get going?" Taavi asked. He noticed that Linka began drinking more rum. "Good thing those bandits won't be back till later. I get the feeling this is going to be a _long_ journey." he sighed.

Taavi woke Linka by ripping her hair out one-by-one. She stumbled around with a hangover for a sword and shield before leaving. They got back to Faron Village as the sun began to set. They crouched in the distant trees and waited for everything to quiet down. They saw Cian and his search party return and Cian with his hand clenched in rage.

"Come on Cian, just let her go." one man said.

"No! She's mine! I won't be made into a joke!" he growled.

"To be fair, you _are_ kind of a dick." another reasoned and earned a glare.

Linka wanted to laugh, but she needed to stay quiet long enough to get to Malon. She traveled stealthily along the treeline until she got behind Malon's home. As it got dark, the village got quiet. She snuck over to Malon's home and climbed the outside of the house like a shadow. She looked around nervously and walked about like a ninja.

"What are you doing here?" came a voice behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin in fright. "You know Cian's been looking for you all day and is furious." his tone dark.

 _Tell me about it,_ was what crossed Linka's mind.

"Malon, I-"

"Well?" Malon crossed his arms.

"I don't want to be with Cian, I love you." Linka said quietly as she turned away, unable to look him in the eye. It was the first time she'd said those word to him and felt so vulnerable at the moment.

"Then why did you sleep with him? And behind my house?"

"I didn't and you know that!" Linka said in a harsh whisper.

"It doesn't matter if you were willing or not. What matters is that you're integrity is in question and everyone was there to see it. You embarrassed yourself, and you embarrassed me."

"He tried to force himself onto me and I ran to you for help, please help me. I'm scared." she began to tear up. "What about me? Why are you making this about _you_ and _your_ honor!"

"Just go. I won't tell him you came." his eyes were cold before turning his back to her.

Linka was deeply hurt, but her feelings quickly turned to anger and she fought the urge to strangle him. If she was nothing but damaged goods in his eyes then she wasn't going to try to change his mind. This gave her the determination she needed to take her chances and never return. Without a backwards glance she left through the back door and sprinted off towards the woods. She stopped in a clearing to catch her breath and then stood with her head held high.

Malon held strong for a moment by not turning around. His resolve began to dissolve when he heard the door close. By the time he turned to look out the window he could only see the swish of the vegetation where she entered the woods. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed with frustration. He pulled the seed necklace he had made for her out of his pocket and gingerly ran his fingers over the light brown seeds that matched her hair.

"You still there Taavi?" she asked.

"Yeah, what do you want?" he asked.

"This mission thing, lead the way."

"Why the sudden change of heart? I was half expecting you to try and get a quickie-"

"This whole place is dead to me." she snarled. "The only thing waiting for me here is Cian, and he can go fuck himself."

"Glad to hear you're on board. We need to head further into the woods first and go towards The Wolfos Cavern. We need to get the Deku Emerald before we can go to Castle town to meet with Princess Zelda."

Linka felt nervous about going to Wolfos Cavern. It was a childhood dare among kids in Faron. The cavern got its name from it appearance and that occasionally strange noises emerged from its depths. Kids often challenged each other in who could go deeper into the cave. It was impossible to really explore it because of the giant deep pit in the back of it. Their parents told them that it was the cave's belly and that they would be digested. She felt nervous and excited all at the same time about being able to finally explore the cave.

Before they could explore the cave they had to get there. They decided to stop by the bandits hideout to get more supplies. They got there close to nightfall and noticed the torches lit around the area. Linka groaned at having to sneak around more, but went in any way and perched herself where she could see them.

"Hey Bone-Pick! Did you ever find the broad that robbed ya?" asked a bandit.

"Naw, but when I do so help I'll-"

"Yeah, Yeah, she'll get hers. But word has it there's a lady from Faron that ran into the woods to escape marriage. Hubby-to-be's offering a pretty price for her return.

"She must've pissed him off something good 'cause he's been telling everyone that who ever finds her first can do whatever 'e wants with her." one cackled.

"Well, it doesn't matter. When I find her, she'll be tied up in 'ere and making babies for the lot of us!" Bone-pick howled and the others nodded in agreement.

"You think she might have been the one who came 'ere while we were gone and drank our booze?" one pondered.

"Dunno, Mud-kick, but if she is then I'll make that Cian fella look like prince charming when I'm done with her." another growled.

Linka, feeling very disturbed, snuck around the makeshift fort and began to take what she needed. She grabbed a lantern and four bottles; one for oil , and the others for some healing potion she found in a barrel. She also took a bomb bag and a larger quiver of arrows and a bow. Before she could sneak out she froze and look around the room frantically. She then grabbed the empty rum bottle from earlier.

"What are you-" Taavi began to ask. The crude sound of her urinating stopped him.

"Really! You are a lady!" Taavi nearly shouted. "Act like one!"

"Nature called," Linka said as she put a cork on the lid. "Consider _this_ my parting gift to them." she giggled and made her way out. Before she could reach the door they heard someone coming and hid.

"You think we'll find that woman?" asked one.

"Don't know, don't care. Bone-Pick just got his pee-pee slapped, so now he's gatta throw a tantrum to show he's the boss. This oughta cheer him up." the other answered as he picked up the urine filled bottle.

Linka and Taavi, both hiding in the ceiling rafters, struggled to hold back laughter. They quietly climbed down as they heard the footsteps become more distant. They were silent for a moment and stared at each other.

"Shall we get out of here before they _literally_ drink piss?" asked Taavi, Linka nodded in agreement.

The two made their way out of the camp and deep into the woods. They heard one of the bandits screaming about his rum and demanded to know who did it. Taavi turned to Linka with a judgmental look, Linka grinned and continued on her way with a cocky smile. Both were quiet for a while as they walked to Wolfos Cavern. As they got closer Linka began asking questions about what was ahead.

"The places you mentioned that we need to go. You know? The deep dungeon lake and land of the dead stuff you mentioned earlier."

"That's generally where the hero goes, but the princess will be able to give us more guidance as to what next and perhaps even give us something to help us." Taavi reasoned. "We need to get the emerald first as proof of who we are."

Wolfos Cavern soon came into view. The opening to the cave looked like the head of a wolfos and the air around it was hot and gut-wrenching as its breath. Linka rigged a hook at the end of a rope she took from the bandits and climbed down into the belly of the wolfos. She lit her lantern and cautiously walked deeper into the cave. She drew her sword and prepared to fight the monsters that typically inhabited the area. She fought through keese and jelly chus. The monsters that freaked her out the most were the likelikes. Linka was never one to worry about getting dirty, but the slime it covered its meals in stunk horribly.

Then came the puzzles. How exactly someone set these puzzles up centuries ago and managed to keep them up and running was beyond Linka's understanding. The puzzles were very easy, but they occasionally released a monster. At first the new monsters freaked her out, but after a while they became annoying. Especially the keese, they kept getting stuck in her hair. Taavi would have helped if he hadn't been laughing.

"Hey a-hole! Help me get this flying jerk out of my hair!" Linka yelled.

"You think they're bad now, wait till they're on fire." said Taavi. "In any case, we should be close to the emerald now."

"Good, I'm looking forward to leaving Faron once and for all." Linka huffed as she ripped the keese out of her hair and slashed it in half.

"Save it for the final boss." said Taavi.

"Let's get this over with." Linka huffed as she reached to unlock the door.

They walked into the room slowly and looked around the room with caution. Linka felt very nervous and jumped when she heard something move. Linka had never done something like this before, but she was fairly certain that sudden twitchy noises in a large dark room were not a good thing.

"Look out!" Taavi yelled.

When Linka looked up she saw the largest spider she'd ever seen staring at her with it large eight eyes. It tried to pounce on her, but she tumbled out of the way in time. It raised its forelegs high in the air to make it look larger. Its fangs dripping with either drool or poison, either way it was a frightening sight. She pulled out a grappling hook and began to look for a place to latch on. She found a ledge she could stand on and another to use the hook on to get there. She managed to move just before the spider could strike and noticed the giant eye on its back. She took advantage of its confusion and stabbed its eye. It released a horrendous scream and tried to shake her off. The green goo from the eyeball squirted all over her face and made her lose balance as she tried to wipe it from her eyes.

She rolled off the monster and watched it twitch its last. Linka looked around in hopes that something would pop open and a chest would appear. But all that happened was the spider's eye continued to glow.

"I think its inside the eyeball." Taavi said with a hint to disgust. "Stop standing around, go carve out that stone!" Taavi commanded. "This is something all the great heroes of the past did as well!"

Linka climbed onto the spider and rolled back her sleeve. She cringed as she poised her left arm up to plunge it deep into the eye ball. She had dug her hands into filth before, but something about digging through a spider's giant back-eye felt gross.

"Oh, come on! It's just a little bug!" Taavi sneered.

Linka stuffed her hand in and made "ew, ew, ew" noises as she searched for the stone. The squishing sounds and squirting liquids sickened her. When she felt her hand brush against something hard she held her breath and shoved her arm in further. When she pulled the stone out she gasped for air and then gagged from the smell and sight of the fluids as they soaked into her tunic and oozed down her arm.

"Weenie!" Taavi spat. "You'll never live up to the other heroes of legend if you act like this!" he scolded.

"Oh? Did the other heroes dive into spider guts like they were toffee apples?" said Linka.

"No, they usually screamed in terror. But they didn't complain about it!" Taavi said.

"It's a giant spider!" Linka growled and flicked her ooze covered hand in Taavi's direction to get some of it on him.

The two continued to bicker on the way out and she climbed out of the cavern and bickered all the way. It was not until they heard the sound of a harp that they stopped and began to look around. Linka looked up and noticed a blonde man standing on a branch. He continued to play his harp for a moment; when he stopped he jumped down in front of Linka. Linka had never seen someone with red eyes before, but once she saw the mark of a large eye on his chest she knew he was from the palace. His face was completely covered

"The greatest obstacle in any journey is the first step; no greater trauma than being forced to flee home and be likely to never return. The most evil monsters wear human skin and are often some of the people you trust the most, but the greatest heroes come in all forms. To leave home and embark into the unknown is an act of courage few can manage." he said so poetically.

"Are you a Sheikah?" she asked to clarify.

"I am, my name is Sheik and I was sent by her grace, The Princess Zelda of Hyrule. She wishes to meet with you and discuss further matters." he said matter-of-fact. "Please come to the palace at once, there is much to discuss. Bring the Deku Emerald as proof of who you are." he stated before throwing a deku nut and vanishing.

"Well, that just happened." Taavi said dumb struck. "Aren't you popular? The princess herself wants to meet you."

Linka stood silently and stared at where Sheik had been standing. She seemed to be in a daze and had a goofy smile on her face.

"Hyrule to Linka! Hyrule to Linka!" Taavi said as he buzzed around her face.

"OH! Huh, to Hyrule!" Linka said enthusiastically as she began to run through the woods.

She climbed to the tops of the trees and began to leap from tree to tree as she ventured towards Hyrule field. Something inside her felt free, something about this quest felt natural to her. An invite to the royal palace made this feel more official. As she par-koured it felt like she was flying and that nothing could take her down. For some reason she felt the need to howl like a wolf despite the fact that wolves don't live in trees.

She was so enthralled in her new adventure she hadn't noticed Cian beneath the trail she sailed over while howling. He and the others with him gave chase, but soon lost her as she passed over thick vegetation and muddy patches that slowed them down. He glared in the direction she disappeared and grit his teeth.

A/N: This is the first story I've attempted with a more serious tone. In the past when I've written stories they tend to be a little goofy like my other story "The Crossroads". I accept constructive criticism, please no flames. Thank you for reading!


	3. The sword of the forgotten sanctuary

Linka and Taavi pushed further into the woods. They traveled for two days and stayed up in the trees as much as they could. Linka would push herself as hard as she could in her determination to leave home behind. She found that if she was really exhausted she wouldn't have nightmares about that night. To keep her mind occupied she would ask Taavi to tell stories about past heroes and noticed his versions of the story were slightly different from the ones she knew. One being the part when the Hero of Skyloft descended to The Surface and was tackled mid-air by Groose who had followed him because he knew Zelda had gone missing and thought Link was acting strange. She had been told they were rivals that came together for a common cause, but never heard that part before. It reminded her of her friend Groosina; the two hated each other before they united against one of the town perverts.

She remembered how the two had been arguing and throwing catty remarks at each other. There was a sweet that was very popular in Faron called a sweet lick because it was served on a stick and was licked off. There had only been one left and they fought over it until Andrew (male Anju) walked up to them. He said he had one in his pants they could share and the two ganged up on him. Linka stole the sweet lick out of his hand after kicking him in the groin; she told Groosina she could have the one they'd been fighting over since this one tasted better than any she'd had. Linka's eye began to tear up thinking about home and she quickly changed to thinking about getting to Hyrule.

They reached Hyrule field in the morning and traveled towards the Palace in the distance. As they neared Castle Town they encountered stalchildren and that was very frightening for anyone, especially someone who had never seen them before. (A/N: These things freaked me out as a kid at first, then I found re-deads... enough said)

"What the hell are those!" Linka yelled.

"Stalchildren, they're not that powerful or fast." Taavi grumbled. "If you keep walking they'll never catch you."

She swung her sword and defeated them easily and continued to do so until the sun rose. All was well until she disturbed a peahat that chased her all the way to Castle Town. This was apparently so common that no one thought anything of it as she ran screaming past the gate. People mostly made remarks under their breath about how she was obviously from the boonies if she didn't have enough sense to leave the flying pineapples of death alone. She found an Inn and rented a room.

"What are you doing? We have things to do." Taavi whined as Linka plopped down on the bed.

"I've barely slept for almost five days and need sleep. Zelda can wait till later." She yawned. Before she could fall asleep she shot up and placed a chair in front of the door to bar it closed and moved the bed to bar the window from opening.

"Paranoid much?" asked Taiva.

"I'm a woman by myself in a new place where I know no one. Just a little added security." she said.

"What about me? I'm with you!" said Taavi.

"What'll you do? Sprinkle fairy dust and make them fly off to Neverland?" Linka yawned.

Taavi argued with her for a long time and took her silence as her agreeing with him. But the snores gave away that she left the conversation a while ago. He huffed and he puffed and just whizzed around her head in an attempt to be as annoying as possible. She was sleeping so deeply that it was pointless. He then laid down on the pillow next to her and drifted off as well. The next morning they checked out and went to find a place to eat breakfast. That's when she noticed a friend of Cian's selling produce in the market and quickly hid.

"Hey there, how's it been? You look like shit." said the female merchant.

"Cian's been running me ragged. His bride-to-be escaped and he's been tearing up all of Faron looking for her. It's not pretty." the friend remarked.

"Well, Cian isn't as charming as he is handsome." the merchant chuckled sympathetically.

"He said he and his search party last saw her heading in the direction of Castle Town and instucted me to report to him if I see her. Apparently she's learned to fly through the trees to get away from him. I'll tell you what, his nasty rivalry with Malon has gone from irritating to a full blown crazed obsession. He doesn't even like this woman, but sticking it to Malon is that big of a deal to him. He even tried recruiting the Faron Woods Bandits for help!" the friend groaned.

Linka felt sick with fear. It scared her to know that he figured out how she was traveling and where she was going. This was a stark reminder that he had connections all over the kingdom from his small farm and could find her almost anywhere. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she at least knows about this and can be more cautious. After a breakfast spent looking over her shoulder and Taavi headed towards the palace.

"I'm here for an audience with Princess Zelda." said Linka. "I was told to bring this as proof of identity." she said as she pulled out the Deku Emerald.

"Unless you have an official summons, we can not let you pass." the guard said in a condescending tone.

After some aguing Linka saw there was no convincing the guard and walked away. Linka felt duped and was in no mood for this. But before she lost her temper someone grabbed her and dragged her out of view from the main passage. Alarms sounded in her mind and panic took over; before she could yell the stranger covered her mouth and rushed her away towards the shadows. She first went limp to throw off her attacker and twisted out of his grasp when he lost his grip of her. She grabbed the hunters knife from her hip and slashed at the attacker, whose face was obscured by a hood. Linka's mind went through waves of panic and anger.

"I'm NOT going to hurt you. It's me, Sheik." he said quietly with his hands raised. "Your meeting with the princess is top secret and I must bring you to her another way."

The Sheikah are a tribe that protected the royal family and notorious for being secretive; conspiracy theorizes buzzed around them like bees around their nest. She thought he was cute at first, but until he proved otherwise he was going to be target practice. He let her go so she decided to not kill him at the moment, but still didn't trust him entirely. He seemed to understand, or at least that's what she assumed, she hated dealing with the Sheikah already.

"You said the princess wanted to speak with me." Linka growled dangerously.

"And she does. The reason she didn't provide an official summons is because this is about a matter so grave she hasn't shared it with even the King himself. She has instructed me to lead you to her personally. Do you have the stone?" He said.

When she showed him the stone he nodded and led her to some vines that reached the top of the wall to climb and up she went. When they got to where the other guards stood watch they parkoured over them with ease. Lucky for her, they were all too stupid to look up. Eventually they got to an open area and saw a woman about her age sitting under a tree reading a book. She had a regal look about her and wore the royal crest on her clothes. Her blonde hair glistened in the moonlight and her blue eyes sparkled. She looked up and caught her eye and smiled.

"Linka, I've been waiting for you." she said. Linka looked weirded out so she emphasized further. "I have prophetic powers that give me a general idea of the future. In my vision I saw a young woman from the woods." she said as she raised her right hand and it began to glow. That's when Linka's left began to glow as well.

"Weird," was all Linka could say as she stared at her hand.

"Demise is going to rise again soon and You're the only one who can stop it. Take this letter and go to the local smithy and get some armor. Give him this letter and he should know to bill me. After you get the armor you must return to Faron woods and retrieve the gauntlets-"

"Wait, you want me to go back to where I came from... to get an accessory?" Linka asked.

"These are no ordinary gauntlets. There were stolen from a secret location by some bandits recently. These gauntlets contain the proper fitting for other magical items such as spell stones and strength boosters that will help you on your journey. It'll be useful, I promise." she smiled.

"Okay then, what do I do after I get these gauntlets?"

"You then will need to the Lost Woods and find the Forgotten Sanctuary to retrieve The White Sword. It's a temple in a cave that is a very steep fall. Take this with you, it will allow you to glide short distances and takes softer falls from high heights. The entrance is too narrow to use this, but it will help you on your quest afterwards." she said as she gave her a Roc cape. "This is a special cape that helps Hylians fly. It's not a good as a witch's broom, but it will help you travel longer distances and move about undetected."

"I know where the bandits are you mentioned." Linka started, but didn't know how to finish. "I'll get them, is there anything else around there I'll need on my mission? I'd rather not go back if I don't have to." Linka said quietly.

"We'll get it no problem, Linka is as stealthy as a Sheikah." Taavi chirped as he patted Linka's right ear.

"I understand, after this you'll not be sent back there for anything on this quest. I can't promise anything, but I don't foresee you returning for anything besides what I've mentioned." Zelda nodded, Linka turned to leave. "Oh! One more thing, tell no one about our meeting or that your have the Triforce of Courage. The times are dangerous and many wish you ill, and I don't just mean the ones that pushed you from home." she said with a hard look at the clock behind Taavi. "You best get going, at any moment a guard will walk through here to check on me, you mustn't get caught."

Linka took it and gave an awkward thanks before sneaking out. Once she got away from the guards and back to the Inn she began to curse like a more drunken version of herself. She had wanted to tell Zelda to send someone else to get the gauntlets or if she could skip getting them entirely, but she didn't want to look weak.

"Damn it! Why the fuck couldn't someone have told me to do that while I was still there!" she complained. "I don't want to deal with those flying killer pineapples more than I have to!" it wasn't her biggest worry, she just didn't want to talk about it.

"Well, let's get this done and we hopefully won't have to go back." Taavi tried to comfort her.

"But I don't wanna!"

"I know, but we don't have to go back into the village. We just have to rob the same bandits, enter a creepy dark cave, maybe get eaten by a spider. What part of that doesn't sound fun?" Taavi said he began to slowly convince himself to not go by accident.

"Whatever! We'll get the damn things and get out." she huffed.

The next day they went to the smithy and asked about her armor. When the smithy finished he pulled out what looked more like something that belonged in the bedroom than on the battle field.

"What that fuck is _this_? There's nothing battle-worthy about this?" Linka glared.

"It will protect your heart!" the man argued.

"What about my stomach, my back!" she continued. "This doesn't even cover my ass!"

"Those are all in men's sizes." the smithy argued.

"Then give me one of those!"

The two went back and forth like that for a while until she pulled her knife (the deal maker) and they came to an agreement. She was fitted with chain-mail that fit her just right and a green tunic along with a small hooded cape and silly hat that she felt compelled to wear. She even got a small discount when she gave the smithy Cian's hunting cape she "borrowed".

After another long trek over Hyrule field, a discovery that peahats don't taste like pineapples, and through Faron woods they found the bandit's hideout. It was dark by then and the thieves were cooking dinner in a large cauldron. They laughed about who-knows-what and on occasion threw more wood onto their fire.

"I'll tell you what, she's going to get hers." Bone-Pick snarled before hacking a huge wad of spit and everyone sighed from how much he'd talked about this. "That Cian said he don't care if she's beaten, bloody, or if we fun with her first. Only that she's alive and disease free." he laughed. "Returning her gets me money and vengeance all at once, it's a win-win."

"Yeesh, must've done something to really piss 'im off if he's okay with us doing all that to his fiance." another cringed.

"Let it go, don't let a little girl bend you outta shape like this." one bandit groaned.

"I can't! It's made me the laughing stock of the others! Cut-Throat approached me with a mock bow like a little girl and batted his eye lashes at me. And his crew said, "don't traumatize the poor boy, he just got his pee pee slapped by a little girl," before they laughed!" Bone-Pick growled.

"That's cause you're easy to pick on." another rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you one to make friends." said Taavi.

"Can't win'em all." Linka shrugged as she continued past them.

She crept further into the hideout as silent as a shadow. Investigated the place quietly and filled her pockets with as many rupees as she could. Taavi groaned at her theft, but more about how it was slowing her down than the act it of stealing itself. She found a giant wallet, extra pouches for travel, some neat trinkets to sell later, and then she found the gauntlets. The grooves indicated that there were other parts to be added. The Deku Emerald began to glow brightly and produced a strange _woo-woo-woo_ sound. When she pulled it out it split in two and shrank down to embed itself into the top groove of the gauntlets.

"You!" growled someone from behind her.

"Is this 'er Bone-Pick?" asked someone behind her.

"Yeah, that's her alright." answered Bone-Pick with a sneer as he licked his lips.

"Who knew such a tiny woman could cause such a ruckus." laughed another maliciously.

Linka drew her sword and prepared to fight. The bandits drew their weapons and began to spread out. She stepped back so as to prevent any of them from getting behind her. She could see that there were at least three with shackles. The rest carried knives and two others also had some rope. She knew if captured she was done for. She crouched and got ready to fight.

"Now, now, little lady. We're not gonna hurt you. We just want to return you to your loving fiance. He's so _worried_ about you." one said in a mocking tone.

"Bullshit!" Linka growled.

"Watch out!" Taavi shouted.

Linka saw the bandit Taavi warned about and kicked him with all her might. He was knocked into a support beam and the place began to collapse. She managed to escape in the confusion and climb a nearby tree. She sat there for a moment and wondered if the bandits were dead. She would have felt bad about killing them, but they were also going to hurt her. Either way she was going to sleep well. She did feel disappointed when they crawled out from the rubble.

"Where did she go?" asked one.

"I don' know, but I'm going to tell Cian we saw her and that I'll help track her down, and that I'll do it for free." Bone-Pick snarled as he gripped something tightly in his hand.

"What do we do now?" asked another.

"SLEEP WELL WENCH! CAUSE THIS IS THE LAST NIGHT YOU CAN! BONE-PICK'S GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH YA!" he yelled as loud as he could.

Linka and Taavi hid in the trees out of sight. Linka cringed at the mention of Cian, the list of enemies had really grown in the past week. But that was part of the territory that came with having a piece of the Triforce. Linka used her Roc cape to fly closer to the Forgotten Sanctuary. She set up camp in the trees and fell asleep. Her regret being that she didn't kill those bandits, but figured it was a mistake she could correct latter given that she remembered or cared. She put the gauntlets on and they began to feel like old friends in the way they seemed to grip her gently. She drifted off to sleep and was too exhausted to even dream.

The following morning she and Taavi climbed down from the trees and began their descent into The Forgotten Sanctuary. Linka remembered the stories the elderly told about the last people who tried to explore the cave when they were children. Only one returned and he was so traumatized that all he could say was: "seal it off, don't go in there". So naturally, all of the kids wanted to go in there. The seemingly endless drop is kept kids out. Linka and Taavi descended into the shadowy depths with only Taavi's dim light showing the way. Linka lit her lantern and it illuminated the dark, wet, and dreary world around them. Their rope wasn't long enough to reach the very bottom so they would go form one ledge to the next in order to get down.

Once they reached the bottom the ground level lit up with eerie red, green, blue, and purple flames in the center and yellow orbs all around the outer circle. In the middle was something that look like a small booth that slowly sank into the ground as Linka approached it. The four odd flames flared up and four beautiful witches appeared holding lanterns.

"You want the sword?" said the purple one.

"She wants the sword." purred the green one.

"If she deserves it, she will survive the temple." said the red one.

"If she can find us!" the blue one cackled as they all vanished.

"Here we go," Linka grumbled as she put away her rope.

"Linka and Taavi on another whirlwind adventure in a spooky dungeon. Where to first chief?" asked Taavi.

"Let's check the doors. Which ever one we can get open we'll go through first." she stated as she began to check the room for keys.

Once they found a door they proceeded through and check the puzzles. She fought through all the monsters and found a key and used it to open the door and the key broke. This is something that happened in the Wolfos Cavern. She uttered a curse under her breath and proceeded. After a while she came across a chest with a nicer and stronger bow in it than she had. She placed her old bow in the chest. Taavi gave her a judgmental look.

"Don't judge me, it's not like I threw it away." Linka said as she closed the chest.

"Really?" Taavi said before zipping under her hat.

The next door they entered was a room full of paintings; all were empty except for a six, three of the witches took up two paintings each. As Linka approached the six paintings laughed and the images began to jump from frame to frame.

"Can you catch us? Hit an illusion and get a shock, hit the real one and prepare to fight!" laughed the green one.

"Do you think she can tell which is which?" mocked the red one.

"Let's find out," said the blue one as the images began to drift around.

Linka watched the images move and tried to find subtle differences. She looked for skin tones, jewelry, missing objects, and anything else that could distinguish between the real and fake. She shot an arrow at an image of the red one and got electrocuted from the metal bars around the room. The witches laughed and continued to pop up around her.

"The eyes!" shouted Taavi. "The eyes are different! Once you get them out just hit their lanterns, if you can smash the lanterns the flame will be returned to the hall where we first arrived!"

Linka then noticed the eyes were the difference all of the paintings shared. One looked lively and the other looked as dull as a corpse. She drew another arrow and aimed for the ones that looked alive and the Green one shot out of the painting, but regained her composure before she hit the ground. With a ear-splitting scream the witch began to spin her green flame lantern and charged at Linka. Linka drew her sword and slashed at the witch. The two clashed weapons until Linka knocked the lantern from her hand and it shattered on the ground. The witch screamed in anger and horror as her body was consumed in green flames and disintegrated into dust. The other two howled in anger and began to shoot red and blue fire balls across the room.

"She killed our sister!" yelled one.

"She'll pay for that!" yelled the other.

The last two moved about furiously and Linka was dodging their fire balls; real and fake alike were shooting at her. She kept an arrow drawn and ready to fire the moment she got a chance. She let loose an arrow and began to run up the wall to avoid being electrocuted should she hit a fake and missed getting shocked. She drew another and hit the real blue witch while they were laughing and kicked the lantern from her hand and slashed it with her sword. The blue witch burst into blue flames and screamed as she plummeted to the ground. Linka went on to do the same thing to the red one and watched in horror as the red one went up in flames as well. The last one screamed in pain on the ground in her final moments.

"You won't get away with this! Violet will see to it!" she screamed in her final moments before turning to dust.

In the ashes of the last witch Linka found a key to exit the room. She fought through several more monsters until she got to the entrance she saw three of the four torches lit. In the middle of the torches was the purple witch weeping. Linka felt bad for having killed the other three, but she didn't know what else she could have done.

"Why? Why did you kill my sisters?" the witch wept.

"They were trying to kill me." Linka said quietly to defend herself. "They said I had to if I wanted to get the sword hidden-"

"You killed my sisters!" the witch howled as she split into eight copies of herself.

Violet surrounded Linka and circled her like a pack of dogs. Linka drew her sword and slashed at the copies, but they always dodged and another would attack from behind. Linka sheathed her sword and prepared to fire an arrow. She looked around and lost track of which witch was the original.

"The original moves first and is copied by the others." said Taavi.

Linka found the original and Violet was defeated; her cries would howl in Linka's nightmares. The screams of anguish as the witch desperately tried to attack her one last time before turning to ashes and being blown away with the wind. As her flame appeared on its respective torch the small booth structure appeared and Linka walked into it, it lowered itself down to another room. She had a few more puzzles to solve from finding levers to pull, switches to activate, and had to pull a key out of a skulltella's carcass. Eventually a new room opened up and in she went. The circular room had five of the same dreary forest painting all around it. Linka looked high and low to find nothing and began to walk out. That's when spikes shot up to block her exit.

"You defeated my servants, not too shabby." said a disembodied voice. "But I won't be so careless."

From the painting before Linka came a large stag with red, blue, green, and purple stone studded antlers that jumped over Linka's head and dove into another painting. Soon the Stag came charging back in all five paintings, but Linka noticed the antlers were different. In four of the paintings the antlers stones were onto one color, but the real one was multi-colored. So Link Shot an arrow at the real. This caused the original to leave the painting and form a great ball of energy in its antlers and shoot a multi-colored ray at Linka. Linka managed to deflect it back and stabbed the stag through the heart before it could stand again. The stag slowly began to disintegrate until there was nothing left. Another exit opened up into a small garden with irises and gladiolus flowers around a lone sword. Linka grabbed the hilt and felt something strange run through her body. The sword felt so familiar to her as if she'd wielded it before. Its blade not dulled by time and it glistened in the light as she held it high.

"Well, I'll be. It's The White Sword of legend." said Taavi.

"I didn't know this thing was real." Linka said as she tested the weight of the blade in her hand.

"This was the blade used by the heroes of the past. Do you believe me now when I say you're the hero of legend?" Taavi said as he nudged Linka playfully.

"Where to next?" Linka asked with enthusiasm.

"Death Mountain, that's where we'll find the Dragon Ruby that will allow you to walk in extremely high temperatures safely. We'll also be able to find stronger armor and another weapon called the Megaton Hammer as well as another piece to add to your gauntlets to improve your strength." Taavi stated.

"Does the Deku Emerald come with any special powers?" asked Linka.

"Yes, it will allow you to warp out of this dungeon and to the entrance. It's to help the hero quickly exit sacred places since they are intended to trap thieves and what not that would wreak havoc should they have any success in taking something such as the sword." said Taavi as Linka ran looked at the stone on her gauntlets. "Just place you right hand over the Deku stone on your left and think of the entrance."

When Linka did so a whirlwind surrounded her and lifted her slightly off the ground. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being weightless. She opened them again when she felt her feet touch the ground to see them at the entrance of The Forgotten Sanctuary. She eagerly climbed the large tree that loomed over it and got to the very top and looked for Death Mountain.

"Hey, what are you-?" Taavi began to ask before Linka put on the Roc cape.

She soared off as she laughed with joy. For the first time in her life she felt truly free. She was in awe of how beautiful the forest was from the air and the sight of the kingdom in the distance was breath taking. She nearly crashed when she ran into a flock of geese, but regained proper position. What had taken two days to go from the forest to Castle Town took an hour at her speed. She stopped in Hyrule Field a short distance from Kakoriko Village so as to not attract attention to herself from flying in. She got a room at the Inn and was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She again was so exhausted that if she'd dreamed she didn't remember it. Taavi hovered by her head and looked at her sympathetically. He then crept under their door to go outside and followed the sound of the harp.

"I see she learned how to use the Roc cape." said Sheik without opening his eye as he enjoyed the sound of his music.

"Scared the Subrosia out of me! She's just as energetic and bullheaded as the others. I worry sometimes that she's going to burn herself out if she keeps this up. Does the princess have any advice on that? Everyday she pushes herself to exhaustion because she thinks it keeps the memories away; It hurts to watch her as she sleeps."

"Just be there for her and let her talk if she wants, it's important to let her heal. I wish I could be more help but fear giving bad advice on something for which I know so little about. It's certainly a delicate matter that can't be taken lightly." he said calmly. "I take it she got The White Sword." he changed the subject.

"Yes, we'll be heading up to Dodongo Cavern tomorrow. Anything we should know?" asked Taavi.

"Yes, I'll meet you two by the cavern tomorrow. I will allow her to borrow something of mine in order to survive on her mission. Tell her to be there by nightfall." said Sheik as he continued to softly play Ballad of the Windfish on his harp. "I'd give them to you to deliver to her, but I don't think you could carry them in your condition." Sheik said as he opened one eye and turned slightly to look at the fairy.

"Yeah, we fairies aren't built like ants. Can't carry several times our weight." Taavi laughed as he felt emasculated for not being more help.

A/N: Hello everyone and thank you for reading my story! I love the Roc Cape and have been eager to write about all sorts of other items from the games. I loved the game Twilight Princess, but they REALLY could have done so much more with the spinner. See you all next chapter! :3


	4. Finding a place to rest

Linka awoke the next morning refreshed and turned towards Taavi. Linka only slept in her undershirt and Taavi insisted sleeping on her folded up tunic. His wings fluttered on occasion, but for the most part they seemed to move in rhythm with his breathing.

"Morning Taavi," she said as she stretched.

"Morning," he replied.

"Shall we check out and get breakfast before we go?" she yawned.

"Sure, but we need to get to the summit by nightfall. I know some shortcuts." said Taavi.

"Why so soon? I thought it would take a while longer to get there." she said as she put on her tunic.

"I talked to Sheik last night and he said he you need to borrow something of his. He said it would help you survive the heat in the volcano." Taavi said as he hovered by the door.

"Well then, let's not keep him waiting." Linka said with a smile as she packed her things and checked out.

The two found breakfast nearby and went to on their way to Death Mountain. On the way they had to fight through a few monsters and dodge Gorons tumbling down the mountain. Tensions between Hylians and Gorons were still high from years of territorial disputes and both wanting the natural resources in the area. Because of this, when the Gorons came rolling down they didn't care to avoid the small Hylian on her way up. She asked Taavi where the shortcut was and he pointed out tunnels that became blocked off by debris and Linka opened them with bombs. She at one point had to wall jump multiple times in order to climb a high distance and jump across large gaps to get where she needed. Sheik stood at the summit and looked as if he'd been waiting a long time.

"You made it before nightfall, not bad." said Sheik.

"It wasn't difficult," Linka said as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Before anything else you need to see the Great Fairy." Sheik stated as he turned towards an ornate doorway. "She can give you the ability to use magic."

"Really?" Linka asked with interest.

"Yes, you'll need magic for what I am about to lend you." he said he he gestured for her to enter.

Once inside the two stood before a beautiful fountain. Linka looked into the pristine waters and was a little surprised by her appearance. She looked worn and stern. She shook her head and cringed before backing away.

"Everything alright?" Sheik asked.

"I'm fine, just never seen a fairy fountain before," Linka said, and it wasn't a lie. Sheik nodded in response.

Sheik then played a melody she'd never heard before. The song had a somber yet peaceful tone, like a lullaby. As the song played the fountain became more colorful and the place more lively. Flowers of red, blue, and purple sprouted from green foliage as the water in the fountain began to form a whirlpool. With a cackle the Great Fairy of the mountain burst from the fountain and looked at the three of them. She seemed to be lounging on thin air as she looked Linka over and winked at Sheik, who Linka just noticed was bowing.

"My, My, what brings you here?" she said, clearly knowing the answer.

"I am Sheik; member of the Sheikah tribe, and second in command to Impaz; leader of the Sheikah tribe and commander of the Personal Royal Guard. I am here to formally request that you provide Linka; holder of the Triforce of Courage, the ability to use magic. She must endure hardship for which she will need all the power the Goddesses can provide so as to protect Hyrule." said Sheik.

Linka looked at the Great Fairy and then back at him. She soon felt awkward and bowed as well. This amused the Great Fairy.

"Worry not, young warrior. I understand in your village this is not common practice and that you have much more important things to learn then Royal formalities. I shall grant you the gift of of magic." she said as she raised her hands high and a purple light swirled around Linka. "Don't forget, magic can drain your strength and must be used with caution. A good night's rest or some green potion will help you replenish your magic." she said quietly.

Linka felt weird as the power coursed through her veins. She felt stronger than before and eager to test out her new abilities, but didn't know how to vocalize this without sounding like a child that just learned how to make explosives.

"The Princess Zelda voices her appreciation for your assistance on The Hero's quest to reseal Lord Demise." Sheik said as he still bowed to the fairy. "I can assist her from here."

"Very well, do not hesitate to return if you should become weary on your journey." the Great Fairy said before she cackled and dove back into the fountain.

Sheik remained in position until the last flower withered away. Once the fountain became dull again he stood and led the way out of the fountain. Once outside they saw a Goron standing a short distance from the entrance with his arms crossed and had an impatient look. He was probably very short for a Goron, but still huge to a normal Hylian.

"Evening, Sheik," said the Goron.

"Good evening Daru," Sheik replied.

Sheik walked ahead and signaled for Linka to stay back. The two seemed to argue about something and then came to an agreement. That's when Sheik walked back to Linka and filled her in on the details.

"The good news is that he is still willing to make you a Goron tunic. It will help you survive the heat in the volcano as well as reduce an injury caused by fire. The bad news is that he doesn't like hunting the creatures needed to make it and says you will have to obtain their skins first. He said you'll need Fiery aeralafos and dinalfos hides, as well as a few juvenile dodongo skulls with the spines and tails intact as well. He will require a certain amount of materials and this also includes the extras he wants as payment for his work" Sheik stated as he handed her a list.

"Ok then, where do I find them?" Linka asked as she clapped her hands in anticipation of the next big hunt. When Sheik said nothing she got nervous. "Let me guess. In order to get the tunic that will allow me to survive in the extreme heat of the volcano, I must first go into said volcano to get the materials." she said with a sigh.

"Precisely, but I have something that will help." Sheik said as he pulled something from his pocket. "These are fiery aeralfos bone earrings. With your new magic abilities it will help you become more resistant to the heat. It won't help with burns, but it will allow you to search for what you need for a period of time." he said as he handed them to her. "They are a poor substitute for the tunic, but they're all we have now."

"How much time?" Linka asked as she put them in her ears.

"That depends on you, magic responds to everyone differently. You could survive and hour, maybe days. It's hard to tell." he shrugged. "Taavi will help you, there are breakable rocks inside with green potion brewing in them naturally to give you more magic." he added.

"How much do I need of everything?" she asked. Sheik handed her a small piece of paper and she nodded. "Well then, lizards monsters, here I come." Linka smiled as she walked into the volcano.

The heat felt awful the moment she walked in, but Sheik and the Goron were still within sight of her and she couldn't turn back as Taavi hovered by the entrance and internally debated as to whether or not he should continue.

"You go get 'em Linka! I'll be rooting for you!" Taavi called.

"What about that whole "through the land of the dead and deep water" nonsense you were rambling on about?" Linka grumbled.

"I said _nothing_ about active volcanoes." Taavi added.

Linka gave a dismissive wave on continued on. She walked deep into the crater and found a few fiery aeralfos nearby. The problem wasn't so much as to kill them as it was for them to die while over land. As they began to die they would attempt to fly over the lava for safety where they would land. Then their useful leathers would fall into the lava where she couldn't retrieve them and left her with more work to do. After killing ten fiery aeralfos she skinned them and left the remains out as bait in hopes of catching a few dinalfos. She only got fiery keese, who nearly set her head on fire several times; with no luck finding dinalfos she took then skins she got and carried them outside.

"I got the fiery aeralfos, I just got a few more things to get." she panted. "You got any water?" she asked Sheik as she extended her hand. He handed her a canteen, after she drank it she went back in.

"You were in there for three hours, you should take a break." said Sheik. "Don't push yourself."

"I'm fine, I just want this over with and, clearly, so does he." Linka nodded towards Daru.

She went deeper into the crater and managed to get five juvenile dodongo and removed their heads with their spines intact, just as the paper said. She even collected the teeth and claws from the creatures she killed as well. Her legs began to hurt from being hit by their tails and she had a few burns from their breath and their death-explosions if she didn't remove the head fast enough.

"There (pant) you go... I... got... everything." she nearly passed out.

"Except for the dinalfos skins." Daru added.

"Give me a minute, let my shoes have a moment to harden. I think they started melting at some point." she wheezed as she sat by the entrance to the summit.

"I think you should rest. We can try again tomorrow; it's not safe to push yourself like this! You've been in there for about ten hours!" said Taavi, then he sniffed in her direction. "Oh my goodness you stink! Take a bath! You can roll in monster guts tomorrow!"

Linka longed for a cool breeze to come by and cool her. When a hot one blew by it made Taavi crash to the ground. She was covered in enough sweat to look like she'd been swimming. She would have flown around with the Roc cape to cool off if she weren't so tired. The Goron walked over to her and looked down at her with rage.

"Hurry it up! If you want this tunic it's gonna need to get those dinalfos hides. Unless you want to run 'round with no pants or boots." he grunted. "And be sure to keep the feet in good shape, they'll be the soles of the boots." he grunted.

"Nice catch, a-hole." Taavi said weakly as his wings began to flutter again; Linka wasn't sure if he was referring to her or Sheik for not catching him as her scent made him faint.

"Give me a minute, I think I sweated out a kidney. Just let the other get up and running again." she panted as she started to stand up and then walked back into the volcano.

She smashed a rock against the wall and found some of that natural green potion mentioned. It gave her more strength and with that she ran back into the crater with new determination. She ventured further in and found five dinalfos fighting over a lizalfos carcass. They noticed her and two charged at her. She knocked one off balance with her shield as she impaled the other diagonally through the abdomen. This then left the fight 3-1; the three attacked her at once and she managed to kill one by slashing its throat, but the others dodged her. One bit down on her left arm and the other bit down on her right leg. The one on her arm cut her abdomen and back badly with its claws while the one on her leg was trying to rip it off. She used her shield to bash the one on her arm in the head and stabbed the one on her leg through its throat. The one she hit with her shield flopped on the ground from a broken neck and she finished it by stomping on the fracture. The dinalfos squirmed its last with an agonized cry before it stopped moving.

She panted from the adrenaline running through her as the battle ended. She skinned all of them, lizalfos carcass included, in a skilled yet crazed manner as she desperately wanted to get out of the horrible heat. She would have skinned them outside, but they were too heavy for her to carry. Though she limped a lot as she carried all of the skins out at once and gave them to Daru.

"I'll need to take measurements," the Goron said as he took out his measuring tape.

"Why didn't you do that first?" Linka asked.

"I hate those flying bastards and Sheik said you could get some for me if I made this for you. I don't like doing anything for you puny things, but if it means I get the stuff I need without having to go in, so be it." he huffed and wrote his measurements down.

Afterwards she limped off to the Fairy Fountain with Sheik and Taavi following close behind. She staggered a bit from exhaustion and at one point began to crawl. The last time she felt this weak she was helping to herd cattle in on a hot day and didn't drink enough water. She remembered vomiting and passing out. When she woke up Groosina had been trying to get Linka's hair to look like her own. At moments like these she looked forward to hearing some of her friend's disgusting humor.

"Linka, what are you-?" Taavi began.

"Please don't do what I think-!" Sheik began, showing more emotion than he had ever before; he was horrified.

Linka flopped into the fountain and cupped her hands to drink the water; she gasped in pain from the water on her wounds and possibly broken leg. She knew Sheik was angry with her actions, but she was too hot and tired to care. She dunked her head under the water and even began to drift to sleep, but shot up when water went up her nose.

"Linka of Faron Woods, get out of that fountain right now!" Sheik said angrily.

In response Linka looked Sheik in the eye as she lifted her legs up and tried to remove her boots without her hands, but winced at the pain from her right leg. When she reached to pull them off she felt a shot of pain move all over her body that made her wince. Sheik wanted to say so much more, but figured it would be best to get her out as fast as possible.

"You know I could have _called_ the Great Fairy and had you healed!" he snarled, but Linka was already asleep. So Sheik picked her up and rushed to carry her out before the Great Fairy noticed.

Sheik thought he could sneak them out fast enough, but the Great Fairy sprung from her fountain with a horrible cough and gagged quite a bit like someone exposed to a horrible stench for the first time rather than the usual cackle. Sheik froze with Linka still in his arms. He began to slowly tiptoe out but froze when he heard The Great Fairy clear her throat.

"Why does it smell like a half eaten lizalfos corpse covered in keese dung in my chamber?" The Great Fairy asked. "And where did all this blood-"

Sheik looked at her wide eyed like a child caught stealing sweets. Under other circumstances she would have thought this to be hilarious if not for the stench that occupied her home. The Great Fairy was going to scold Sheik further until she saw Linka. She gasped in horror and gestured for Sheik to bring Linka closer. The Great Fairy looked Linka over and then glared at Taavi.

"What happened?" she asked with a fury Sheik had never seen from her before.

"The Goron making the tunic needed materials from the volcano and she-" Taavi stuttered.

"Did you go in with her?" it really wasn't a question.

"Well..." Taavi struggled to answer.

"Don't go back on our deal! You swore to watch out for her. Even heroes need help from time to time; many of the great heroes of the past did! Fi; the great sword spirit, assisted the first chosen knight, Ezlo; the great and powerful Minish, who accompanied the hero through his mission even though The Hero was just a child at the time. The companion can very well be the difference between life and death for the wielder of the Triforce of Courage; take your responsibility seriously!" she scolded. "Keep this up and I will revert you back to what you were." she warned.

"I tried! I tried to get her to stop and rest! She insisted on getting everything done in one trip!"

"You still should have gone in with her! You could have guided her in finding what was needed faster as well as helping her find the resources she needed in the cave to stay safe!" she growled.

"She had to get everything as soon as possible. Demise is rising and the demon lord is recruiting and we don't have time to waste." Sheik stated.

"And you reason for sneaking her out when she is in this shape? As horrible as it is for such filth to spread in my fountain, it's better than her dying."

"I have a healing fairy, I was going to get her back to the inn first. I would never take wounds like these lightly." Sheik said as he bowed his head.

The Great Fairy held up her arms and a cool feeling went over Linka's body. She felt weightless and relaxed. A pang of discomfort would hit her where she was injured worse, but the feeling went away eventually. Afterwards she felt just as tired, but more comfortable.

"I've done all I can for her. Her fractures, deep cuts, and other severe injuries are healed enough she will still be able to fight just as fiercely as she had before getting them. But she must get some rest; to use so much magic after only just getting it and then to fight in such a climate without the proper equipment against something as dangerous as pack of dinalfos by herself is dangerous. It was irresponsible and could have gotten her killed!" The Great Fairy scolded. "Hero or not, there's no excuse."

"She did so on her own, no one forced her to push herself like this," Sheik defended. "I also wanted to be sure how much of the Spirit had awakened. It was the only way."

"As I healed her I saw into her mind, she's stronger than you think. And a trek through a volcano without the proper equipment is't going to prove that." growled The Great Fairy. "The _real_ test will be finding inner peace, not how long she can fight until she's too weak to move. Now little one," she said as she turned to Taavi, "don't let us down." she said with a darker tone.

"Yes... Great One," Taavi said quietly.

Sheik carried Linka out as she moaned on occasion and would try to move. She passed out from time to time just to come back and attempt to get out of his arms, though she never got far.

"I think this is caused by the metabolism or something. All the heroes of the past are spazzes that have boundless energy to the point where they will start breaking pots if they had nothing to do, but then they'd sleep like logs." said Taavi.

"The Spirit of The Hero is awakening within her and it shows in her spurts of energy. Eventually she'll be able to relax in a healthier way as she adapts to her new role." said Sheik as he carried her outside. "How long till it's finished?" he asked Daru.

"Maybe a week or two. She did a great job skinning them and these dodongo spines are in amazing condition, but the tanning and treatment process for getting them just right will take time. I've got a shop closer to town so you won't have to come up here. She's tiny enough I should only need one and a half of these fiery aeralfos leathers for her and maybe one dinaolfos. I don't know what she is, but I've never seen a Hylian take on this bring back this many skins or gleefully come out covered in guts like her." the Goron grunted. "It's scares me a bit if you ask me, it ain't natural for a Hylian to be as strong as a Goron and have more blood lust than a typical Hylian."

"I'll be returning to Kakoriko, I'll return for the tunic with her in a week at your store." Sheik said, he was not going to discuss further with Daru who Linka was.

"See you then," said the Goron as he packed the materials into his abdomen away.

"Do you have a room down there? We checked out of ours." said Taavi. "I think she checks out to make sure we don't get followed; she hasn't said anything about it, but I know she's always looking over her shoulder."

"Yes, since we're going to have to wait it's best if we stick together. I will fill her in on the other happenings in the kingdom. As well as the need for discretion. She can't be flying around with the Roc cape like that; she'll attract too much attention to herself."

"I've gotta hand it to her. She's as tough as they come and it's been interesting, but I guess certain habits die hard. You know she pissed in a rum bottle and left it out for some bandits to drink? I hope to not be on her bad side." Taavi laughed.

"People often forget that women can be just as crude and disgusting as men; they're just more covert about it. Let's get her back to town and hope The Great Fairy doesn't take offense to her home smelling like a sweaty, entrails-covered tunic." said Sheik.

"I assure you that heroes of the past have done worse. You know The Hero of The Minish threw a bomb into a fountain of theirs? And worse was when the little guy lied. That fairy beat the crap out of him until he apologized. Only after that did she help. I'm sure Linka rolling around in her sweaty clothes is small compared to what the others have done." Taavi snickered.

"Where am I?" Linka asked, the heat had really gotten to her.

"I'm carrying you back to the village. You're exhausted and need rest." Sheik said as he shifted her weight in his arms.

"Put me down! I can walk on my own!" she said very indignantly as she tried to wiggle free.

When Sheik placed her on her feet and got her steady. She nearly fell over, but Sheik caught her before she fell. She paused for a moment.

"The ground came out of no where." she huffed before staggering forward a few meters like a drunk before collapsing again. "A minor set back!" she attempted to save face.

"Just let me help you, there's no shame in that." Sheik said as he picked her up. She felt so dizzy she couldn't really struggle against him. She eventually leaned into him and lost consciousness again.

They reached the bottom and entered the Inn where Sheik had a room. He laid her on the bed and placed a wet cloth over her forehead. Her skin was still flushed from the extended exposure to the heat with so little protection and the magic needed for it had drained her strength. That fact she could take on so many monsters, skin then so professionally, and carry the heavy load back was very impressive. He had great faith in her, but knew the return of Demise was not the only enemy she would have to face.

"What are you looking for?" asked Taavi suspiciously as Sheik rummaged through Linka's things.

"I want to lay out a change of clothes for her tomorrow. She's covered in Nayru knows what and she'll have time to clean her tunic later. Just helping out where I can." he said without looking up.

"I think you should just get her a new outfit. Her only other outfit is the one she scraped up real bad while running home." Taavi suggested.

"Then I'll take the old dress and ask for one of a similar size." Sheik suggested and left with her old and tattered dress.

After returning with a new change of clothes Sheik was sure to wake her every so often to take a sip of water. He did this through out the night and fell asleep in a chair by the bed. A few days later he woke up he saw her chugging a pitcher of water in a way that impressed him. He counted in his head how long she could go without breathing. After a while he decided it was best to speak up so as to make sure she didn't drown herself in a water pitcher.

"You're still dehy-" he began, but she spit the water out and began to choke in surprise. She didn't know he was watching.

He rubbed her back to help her breath and she responded with one of the loudest belches he'd ever heard. He'd known large men that couldn't boast a belch as gross as that.

"You shouldn't drink so much at a time while you're as dehydrated as you are. You'll just throw it back up." he said while rubbing her back.

"What happened? How did we get here?" she asked wearily as she realized she wasn't wearing the same thing she was when she passed out.

"This is the room I rented to Kakoriko Village. You were too weak to walk so I carried you back. Daru said the tunic should be done in a week or two. Until then you should rest. Speaking of which," he said as he reached down on the floor beside him, "I went and got you a new dress. I didn't think you'd be comfortable if I changed you out of your clothes, so I got you a dress and asked the Inn keeper's wife to dress you." he said as he stood up. "There's a bath house next door, you should go wash up. I'll leave you be." he said before walking out.

Linka sat in a daze and stared into her lap confused. The dress looked similar to the one she wore the night she ran away. The fabric felt strong, but lacked the usual smells of farm-life she was used to. She slowly turned to Taavi as she looked herself over; she took note that she was still wearing the same thing she had been since entering the volcano. It was torn to the point she figured it was better to get a new one than attempt to salvage it, but it still kept her decent.

"What happened last night?" she didn't sound scared.

"After making an ass of yourself at the Fairy Fountain, The Great Fairy healed you. Sheik then carried you down the mountain and managed to get a ride from a merchant who got us to the bottom faster. When we got here he laid you down and placed a damp cloth on your head, woke you every so often to make you drink water, and went out at one point to get you a new outfit since your clothes are so filthy from your hunting in the volcano. He didn't want you to sleep in that filthy tunic, but he knew you wouldn't have been happy if he took it off you. The Inn keeper's wife was impressed, she said she'd raised three sons and none of them had rolled in anything as foul as you had." Taavi shrugged off, he knew what she was really asking.

"Okay, well, time for a bath!" she smiled as she bounced to the door, but then fell on her face. "I meant to do that," she said as she got up.

"I'm sure you did," Taavi said sarcastically as she left.

She managed to find a private place in the bath house and felt refreshed as she washed up. She was so caked in grime she could see the it slide down her skin. As she washed up she noticed more scars on her body, not that she didn't already have some from farm labor, but she looked at them and thought of how much her life had changed in a little over two weeks. She examined her leg where the dinalfos bit her and saw distinct marks where her skin was pierced. Auntie Iggy used to say every scar had a story, but whether it was being brave or stupid determined how often people would talk about it.

She remembered the time Malon got a nasty scar from a stag that attacked him while he was hunting. He managed to kill it with his knife, but not before it slashed him across the chest with its sharp hooves. He played up the injury as much as he could to garnish sympathy from her, but others liked to point out the scar he got from being impaled in the leg with a stick after he fell on a pile of firewood during a wrestling match. She felt tears start to well up as she thought of home. She still missed her friends, and Malon's rejection still hurt to a degree. To know home was so close and that she could never return was unbearable sometimes, but she reminded herself there was a reason she left and distracted herself by washing her hair.

"Wanna talk?" asked Taavi.

"You wanna talk about what The Great Fairy said about reverting you to what you were?" she asked with an edge to her voice. "What were you before?"

"You... you heard that." Taavi said embarrassed.

"So what happened?" she pried.

"I... I really don't want to talk about it." Taavi said sheepishly.

"One more thing, why are you in the women's bath house?" she asked as she covered her chest.

"Well-you see, I was worried about you and-and wanted to talk to you privately-" he stuttered.

"So you waited until I got naked?" she asked with a raised brow.

Taavi said nothing, from his zipping around she could tell he was a little embarrassed, but was still sneaking peeks at her. She rolled her eyes and continued to wash her hair. She then dumped a bucket of water of her head, Taavi seemed to be desperate to act like he wasn't watching. Linka smirked and dumped another bucket over her and tried to look seductive.

"I think I hear Sheik calling!" Taavi announced before zooming out the window.

Linka laughed at his reaction and felt that she had unleashed her inner Groosina. She remembered the last dirty jokes Groosina said before everything changed. Linka was in no way a delicate flower and was just as willing to get her hands dirty as the boys and just as willing to brawl. She was never comfortable discussing sex in public or with Malon, but she still flirted from time to time.

Groosina knew it made her uncomfortable and enjoyed making Linka feel awkward; especially on the occasions that Linka walked right into them, such as the time she told Groosina she had met Malon to get some seeds when she was sixteen. Groosina, Cawlina, and scritcha started giggling as Linka obliviously continued talking about getting the seeds.

(flash back)

"So, where've you been? We were suppose to be at Mayor Bo's farm an hour ago to herd the goats. What gives?" asked Scritcha.

"I went over to Malon's to get some of his seeds for my garden." Linka said innocently.

"Did he plant any (giggle) in your _garden_?" asked Cawlina.

"He planted his seeds in the back." Linka smiled as she made a gesture to signal behind her. She meant behind her house, but they took it differently despite knowing what she meant.

"Did he do a good job?" Groosina asked. "Would you let him do it again?" Groosina was loosing it.

"Oh, definitely I would recommend him to anyone. Why do you ask?" Linka knew she was missing something, then it clicked and she blushed all the way to the tips of her ears.

"At least you didn't let him in your _front garden,_ " Scritcha laughed. "Wouldn't want to bearing fruit just yet." she howled with laughter as she leaned on Cawlina for support.

"Now, now girls, let's not give her a hard time. That's a job for Malon's pet snake!" Groosina was now on the ground, laughing so hard she couldn't stand. "Who are we kidding, Innocent Snow Princess Linka would never have fun like that outside marriage. She's old fashioned like that." Groosina giggled as she did a mock proper lady pose while pinching part of her shirt to keep it from touching the ground.

(Flashback to the night before the wrestling match between Malon and Cian)

She had always wanted to participate the games, but only men were allowed. They claimed the festival was to thank the Goddesses for a successful harvest and to entertain them in hopes they would make the men just as fruitful as the seeds they grew; Groosina came up with many dirty jokes about that too.

Linka took care of the horses that had raced today and began to brush their coats. She wrapped up any injuries and made sure they got food and water. She loved the horses and had become well known for breeding them. She allowed the local men to race them in the festival in hopes to make more business as she showed them off to the other farmers.

"You didn't join in the archery match today, or the horse race. I was disappointed." Malon said as he walked up behind her. "Faron would have beaten Odin Village if you did. Last year you shot all those targets on horse back, even the ones that were thrown into the air; made quite a ruckus." he laughed softly. "Only person to have ever made a perfect score and now the course is harder than ever before."

"They said if I did it again they would ban me from participating in the festival, my Auntie and I make a lot of money from it each year and we can't afford to lose the business." Linka said quietly without turning to Malon. "Auntie can't run that stand on her own. She needs someone to help cook and tend to the shop too." she sighed. "Not to mention the business I make from selling and trading horses.

"It may not mean much, but I think if you participated, it would be more a festival of how close can second place get to Linka's score for the year." he chuckled as he embraced her from behind.

"You ready for the big match tomorrow? It's the grand finale of the whole festival, it's the one thing everyone watches." Linka changed the subject as she tried to distract herself from his embrace. She really hated that she couldn't participate in the tournaments, but didn't want to complain about.

"A little, but I'll be fine." he said as he dug his nose into the crook of her neck. "Cian's been trash talking about it for a while and it's been drumming up a lot of bravado for the event. Now we both have to make it to the finals so as to not disappoint anyone, no pressure." Malon said as he kissed her neck and placed both hands on her hips.

Linka looked around to see if anyone was around; once she saw they were alone she relaxed into his touch. It was considered shameful to act like this out of wedlock, but she was willing to allow Malon's affection so long as they weren't caught. She lightly gripped one of his hands and gently caressed his face with her other hand. She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. After a tender moment she pushed him away and looked around as though she were planning to steal something.

"What are you-?" Malon tried to ask before she placed a finger over his lips.

"Shh, I think they're done out there." Linka said as she began to feel more and more bold. "Come with me." she whispered deviously as she led him by the wrist.

She snuck them by the men just leaving the site where they had been preparing the ring for the wresting matches. The two snuck off to the clearing in the woods far enough in that no one would see them and close enough to not get lost. Linka used this place to practice archery, but figured it would be the best place for her plans. She pushed Malon against a tree and kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around her and let one hand venture down to her lower back, but went no further. She was feeling brave and moved his hand lower and his other hand followed on its own. They both froze when they heard a gasp from behind. There stood Groosina and her boyfriend as they stared in shock.

"Groosina, this isn't what you think it is." Linka blushed to the tips of her ears; now Groosina was bent over laughing.

"Then what is it? Wrestling practice?" Groosina smirked.

"I was teaching her a self-defense move." Malon answered with an sense of dignity.

"Like how to always... cover your ass?" Groosina lost it as Malon was now blushing as much as Linka, but still didn't remove his hands.

"Groosina, you wouldn't-?" Malon asked nervously.

"Oh yeah!" she said with a big smile. "I'm telling everyone that my little friend Linka is all grown up and trying to ride a man." she grinned. "Besides, everyone already assumes you two have been doing it. But no one's been able to prove it for sure." she grinned.

"No you won't." Linka challenged.

"And why's that?" asked Groosina.

"Because then you'd have to explain why you were out here in the first place with him!" she said as she pointed out Groosina's boyfriend.

"You wouldn't." Groosina growled.

"We'll get married at the same time, cheaper wedding... no?" Linka smirked.

(To reality)

Linka blushed horribly and felt a wave of sickness come over her. She felt dirty to even think of anything sexual and the dark thought began to creep through her mind. To desire anything of the sort seemed made her feel dirty and made her want to wash herself again. She grabbed a wash cloth and began to rub her skin until it hurt.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; she didn't want to cry about this. The only answer was to train until she couldn't move, to do what she had to do to not feel the shame of what happened. She finished washing and put on the dress Sheik got for her; it had a green skirt with a white pattern stitched onto the bottom and the top was a brownish off-white color with green patterns stitched around the collar and sleeves. When she got to the room she grabbed her sword and shield without saying a word before leaving.

"Where are you going?" asked Sheik.

"Training," she said without looking at him.

"You should rest, The Great Fairy said you needed to stop pushing yourself so hard." he said as he crossed him arms.

"I can't help it, whenever I have a relaxing day I feel like I'm forgetting something." she smiled and bounded out the door.

"Then you'll need a proper sparring partner," he said as he stood up and followed her.

"You're on!" she exclaimed.

She bounded out to an open area away from the village like a puppy while Sheik followed her. She first stretched before pulling out her sword. Sheik threw a wooden sword at her and she caught it without looking up. The two sized each other up for a moment, then Linka attacked. The two exchanges strikes for a while until Sheik disarmed her and held a kunai to her throat as he restrained one of her arms behind her back.

"You should be more careful, your opponent may have a concealed weapon." he said in a flat tone.

Linka stomped on his foot and twisted out of his grasp just to turn and kneed him in the groin. He fell to the ground in a heap and curled into a ball. Linka did a victory dance as Sheik's eyes began to tear up. Linka grinned at his pain.

"That was a low blow," he coughed.

"And _you_ should be more careful, your opponent might know your weak spot. All's fair in love and war." she grinned.

"Linka! Look out!" Taavi yelled.

She wasn't grinning anymore when she was suddenly shot into the air from a platform made from strange black, white, and orange diamond shapes underneath her. She looked around and saw no one present.

"Sheik! Put me down!" she yelled.

"Linka! Get out of there now!" Sheik said in panic.

She walked to the ledge and found a barrier keeping her in. She banged on it with her fists with no luck and when she used her sword the barrier only repaired itself. She went from feeling annoyed to scared as she tried to escape whatever it was.

"Linka! I'm not fooling around! Run!" Sheik sounded scared, now Linka was really worried; the laugh she heard behind her made her blood run cold.

"It's so nice to meet you, Little Knight." purred a voice maliciously behind her.

When Linka turned around she saw a strange pale man with strange clothes that had diamond shapes cut out of them and he wore a red cape. He sauntered over to her; his lack of a weapon did not put her at ease. He stopped a short distance from her and smiled in a way that made her tense.

"Care for a sparing match? I couldn't help but notice you practicing, and I want to play too." he purred and continued to walk towards her.

She slashed at him with her sword and he did a back flip to avoid it and landed on the furthest edge of the platform away from her. He stood gracefully and watched her. He licked his lips and began to saunter back over to her with a predatory look. She charged at him and slashed at him again, but he blocked her blade with his hand.

"My, my, aren't you a lively one." he said as she tried to take back her sword. "You know? Your ancestor from Skyloft and I did this exact same thing almost 2,000 years ago." he cooed.

"Who are you?" she asked trough grit teeth, she hated being toyed with.

"I prefer to call myself Demon Lord Ghrirahim, but you may call me Ghrirahim." he said before vanishing

Linka looked around and couldn't find him any where. There were no places to hide, but she knew he was close by. She would think she saw him to find nothing there. She figured the best way to find him was to keep asking questions and maybe she could follow the voice as to where he was. He seemed cocky enough to indulge in that kind of game.

"What do you want?" she asked not wanting to mention Demise if it wasn't necessary.

"I need you to help me revive my master, The Lord Demise, from his seal. Your ancestor so rudely sealed him away and I must follow my duty as Demise's loyal servant to release him. It would kind of you to undo what your ancestor did, to right a past wrong." he growled. "You know, if you help Demise he will punish your hometown for what they did. No one would be spared for their crimes against you. Do we have a deal?" he asked, not knowing where he was was starting to make her nervous.

"What's his end goal?" she asked.

"He wants to gain the Triforce and destroy what the Goddesses made. He wants to raze Hyrule and build a kingdom of his own. But the reincarnation of the whore goddess, Hylia, and her dogs, the Sheikah, are selfish and have stood in our way. Let's make this easy, join Demise and we won't have to take you down." he said amused.

"No, I will not go with you." Linka declared. "As much as I resent Faron Village for what they did I don't want to destroy them." she growled, there a moment of silence.

"You know, I was hoping we could have done this the easy way; oh who am I kidding, I was hoping you'd say no." he laughed.

He suddenly appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around shoulders and pressed his lips to her ear.

"Had you joined, I wouldn't have gotten to have fun. But after being sealed for so long, it's nice to find someone to play with."

Linka spun around and slashed at him with all her might. Ghirahim first laughed it off as he appeared so close to her she didn't have room to slash at him. He got a a hold of her sword and tossed it to the side. He grabbed her left hand and held it out and held her tightly with his left hand. He began to move about like a dance and relished in her panic as she frantically tried to escape. He leaned in close to whisper into her ear.

"How did the next part go?"

"Aim for his chest! The diamond shape over his chest is his weak point!" Taavi yelled.

Linka Headbutt him and then punched him in the chest before running to get her sword. She then began to aim for his chest his attacks became more aggressive. He stopped smiling and looked at her with pure hatred. He would vanish and reappear elsewhere and Linka began to adapt to the the pattern he had developed. She managed to deliver a solid kick to his chest and he went flying back. He casually stood up and smiled as he licked his lips. The two didn't break eye contact for what felt like hours until he closed his eyes and brushed his fingers through his hair in a taunt.

"Very well, Little Knight, we will meet again soon. You're so much like your ancestor; small and loyal to a fault. I made the mistake of underestimating him 2,000 years ago; I won't make the same mistake again. If I want to bring back my master I will need you alive, so now I will just have to find another way to bring you down. Farewell Little Knight, we will meet again." he said smugly before he and the platform they were standing on vanished. She was too low to the ground for the Roc cape to work, but high enough the fall would seriously hurt her; Sheik jumped up and caught her so she got a soft landing. In the process they bonked heads and Taavi laughed so hard he struggle to stay in the air.

"Did you guys hear the hallow sound your heads made when you smacked into each other!" Taavi laughed as big a belly laugh as a fairy could.

"If _he's_ out, then the seal is weaker than we thought." said Sheik as he tried to change the subject with his head throbbing.

"I've only heard stories about him, which-" Taavi began before stopping abruptly and zipping over to Linka. "Linka! Are you ok? Did something happen up there!" he asked frantically. It was then Sheik looked down to see her breathing heavily.

"I was afraid of this," Sheik stated as he sat down and placed her in his lap.

She placed her head against his chest and lightly gripped his shirt with her eyes tightly shut. She just sat there without saying anything as she took in what happened. She began to stand up and walk back to Kakoriko Village. She expressed no emotion, but look very tired. She sheathed her sword and said nothing to the others.

"Are you hurt?" Sheik asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Other then hitting your stupid head, I'm fine. Let's head back to the Inn. I think I need to lay down." she said with a disingenuous grin.

"Something's wrong," Taavi stated, Sheik nodded in agreement.

The two followed her back without a word. They went into the market with her where she bought a new green tunic, white undershirt, tan pants, and a pair of boots. They bought something to eat and Linka just pushed her food around her plate. She hadn't eaten since but she lacked an appetite and more or less forced herself to eat to appease the other two. She could tell Sheik wanted to ask more about what happened and dreaded the questions she knew were coming. Once they returned the questions started the moment the door closed.

"What did he want?"Sheik asked in a gentle tone. She could tell he wanted answers because it was vital to the mission, but he was being considerate.

"He asked me to help him revive Demise, I said no and we fought." she said softly.

"Did he offer an incentive?" he pried further when Linka stayed silent and only looked down into her lap, so he got more specific. "Did his offer have anything to do with Faron Village?" Linka silently answered by nodding. "What did he offer specifically? I know this is hard to talk about, but this could very well be the difference in how much time we really have left to stop him." Sheik pushed a little further.

"He offered me revenge. He said no one would be spared for what they did to me if I joined." she said quietly.

"How did he respond when you turned down his offer?" Sheik remained unemotional.

"He said he hoped I'd say no because it wouldn't have been fun for him. He grabbed me and pulled me close and then began to dance-" Linka stopped, not wanting to go further. "I got free and managed to get him to back down. He said we would meet again before vanishing." Linka said softly.

Sheik showed no change in emotion as he listened. He sat quietly and mentally put together the pieces.

"It sounds like he's been observing you for a while then. If such is the case we don't have as much time as we thought," said Sheik.

"Do you think he could have encouraged it, got the idea for it started?" Linka asked so quietly both of them almost didn't hear her.

"Maybe, but it's too hard to tell. He could very well have known that it happened, but chose to demonstrate that knowledge to you as an act of psychological warfare. From our records of him, I really wouldn't put it past him." Sheik said while in deep thought.

"You should talk about it. Get things off your chest. You're in good company; Sheik and I won't judge." Taavi insisted.

"Maybe another time." she smiled weakly.

"If we're going to work together we need to be honest with each other; hiding about how you feel and you working yourself to the point of collapse isn't good for anyone." Taavi gently pleaded. "I'll tell you what, I'll tell you about what The Great Fairy meant by "reverting me back to what I was," Taavi said quietly, "if you open up about what's been eating at you. Deal?" Taavi asked in a gentle tone. "He knew you were in a physically weakened state and took advantage of that. The secrets have to end before one of us winds up dead, which will probably be me. If he pulls you up in that thing again and drops you there's no way I'm catching you; you're too fat." he playfully teased. "You're not alone, so don't feel like you have to fight alone." Taavi perched on her shoulder and leaned against her neck.

Linka may have not wanted to talk about it, but to finally know what The Great Fairy was chewing him out about was just too tempting to pass up.

"Sure, but you first." Linka said with a genuine smile. She had heard the fairies could be pranksters at times, but she had never heard of one having done something enough to be on The Great Fairy's bad side. She sat up and listened closely, she hadn't felt this excited for a while. Sheik sat up a little too. He did not publicly acknowledge his interest, but he wanted to hear this story as well.

"You look a little too thrilled to hear why I'm on The Great Fairy's shit-list." Taavi said with an indignant tone.

"Better you than me." Linka giggled.

"Then Sheik has to tell us a story too! Fair's fair you secretive asshole!" Taavi spat in Sheik's direction.

"I did not agree to these terms." Sheik said very matter-of-fact.

"But-but-but," Taavi struggled to find an argument,"what about Linka here?" he said as he fluttered over to land on her head. "Poor, poor Linka here has been through so much in the last two weeks; you even sent her into an active volcano because you and that Goron were too lazy to get those materials. The _least_ you could do is tell us something about you too." Taavi insisted.

Sheik turned his head in a dismissive manner, but when he looked at Linka she was giving him puppy-dog eyes. She looked so sweet and gentle, but hit below the belt earlier was proof enough she wasn't so gentle. Not to mention her belching and peeing in a rum bottle to troll some bandits also proved she wasn't as sweet as a peach either. Each time he looked at her she would make it more difficult to say no. She would look at him with those beautiful blue eyes and a slight tilt of her head, her lips curled up in a genuine smile that made her eyes sparkle. Her and Taavi had barely been together and they already were bouncing off the other's cues.

"Fine, but only one." he sighed and the two cheered. "But nothing top secret. If I can't disclose it, then it's off limits." he stated and they nodded in agreement.

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoy the story so far. As usual, please no flames. I will post a new chapter up as soon as I can. Thank you for reading! :) I have just update this chapter and the next two because I wasn't happy with them.


	5. To place a bet

"Okay, just give me a minute. Let me find the best way to say this." Taavi said nervously.

Taavi paced back and forth as he tried to find the best way to explain why The Great Fairy said what she said. He occasionally glimpsed between Linka and Sheik as he looked for the words. Sheik looked at the purple fairy suspiciously; the two at one point seemed to have a non-verbal conversation with a glance in Linka's direction every once in a while. He took in a deep breath and began his tale.

"You see, where I'm from, our purpose was to make humans happy. We were always told that it was our lot in life, but I thought of humans as a bunch of selfish giants, and I wanted in. Humans lived their lives seeking their own happiness and I wanted that too. One day I managed to get a hold of something very powerful and became almost unstoppable.

I used it to turn into a human and went on to become a great warrior so I could enter a highly guarded sanctuary that housed very powerful magic. I had hoped to take the magic and become powerful enough to achieve my goal of taking over the local human population; have them work to make _me_ happy. My teacher tried to stop me; he claimed that I was on a slippery slope into something darker. So I cursed him into being nearly immobile and greatly limited his magic; I was cocky and thought it be more humiliating for him to watch me surpass him in power. I underestimated how resourceful he was; he still managed to defeat me despite being barely able to walk and having magic far weaker than my own.

After only getting a hold of just a little of the magic I wanted, he and the woman who guarded it both sealed me away. They felt that the magic I stole was too precious to destroy, but they didn't know how to reclaim it." Taavi said in a sad tone. "All I wanted was to be my own master, but in the end I plunged the entire human community into chaos and nearly destroyed the place I called home. Before sealing me away I was told if I survived my sentence, that I was to never come back." Taavi began to shake.

"I know there's other ways I could have done it. I know what I did wrong, but was it wrong to want to be happy? Is it unreasonable to want enough power to live your life the way you want? Was I wrong to want to be free from a life of serving others?

After the battle, my body was broken and battered. When I saw what I looked like, even I couldn't even recognize myself. It hurt to hear everyone cheering as I was beaten down. The way they laughed at my attempt for more out of life. I know I hurt a lot of people and many others from my village, but no one ever tried to reach out to me. They said I deserved the humiliation, that I deserved to be hated." said Taavi as he shook with rage.

"After what felt like a thousand years of rotting away in my prison, The Great Fairy approached me and offered me an chance to redeem myself. I would be given my freedom in exchange for pledging to help you reseal demise.

She said that my knowledge of the monsters and magical artifacts around Hyrule would make me an asset. She also claimed that my magic, that I stole, would also guide you in the right direction. I may not look like it, but I was once a force to be reckoned with; not much I can do now though... She said if I performed my task she would allow me to freely live my life and find my own happiness." Taavi said quietly. "She told me is was time to be a _good fairy_ and save Hyrule. That's why I'm here, to kick some ass!" he said boldly as he puffed his chest out.

"You see, Linka, you're not alone. Like you, I also can't go home either; even after I help you seal Demise. Your turn," he said quietly.

Now it was Linka's turn to sweat. She feared putting herself out there, but if Taavi was going to be honest about his past, then she needed to be honest about hers. She buried her face in her hands as she tried to explain what had been going through her mind.

"First off, how much do you two know about me?" she asked suspiciously. "Taavi, when we first met you asked, I quote: "wedding bells, or breakfast with me? Your choice". And Sheik, you're a Sheikah and I don't know the extent of your sources." Linka stated.

"I've been trailing you for a while. I needed to speak with you privately, but you were so rarely ever alone. Either you were with your friends or working on something. The only time you were alone was when you slept and you sleep like you're dead. Once you're asleep, there's _no_ reaching you!" Taavi complained. "I was then told to wait until you left Faron to meet with you, but I had no idea you'd be leaving like that."

"I'd gotten word almost immediately after you fled Faron. I can't disclose my source, but there was quite a scramble to track you down when you ran into The Lost Woods." said Sheik.

Linka buried her face in her hands again. She thought about how to phrase her account of _that_ night. She also didn't like hearing that she had been watched for a while without ever noticing. She sighed and began her story.

"It happened the night before I met Taavi. I was on top of the world and I knew my life was about to change, but I didn't know it would in the way it did. Malon and I had known each other since childhood and it had been assumed for a while that we would get married. Most men will propose during the festival and with our age and Malon having just beaten Cian, the guy who attacked me, in the most anticipated match of the year's biggest gathering, it was certain he was going to propose that night.

Cian has a reputation in many parts of the kingdom; he travels a lot to trade our town's goods and isn't know for his charm. He is a known bully, but people have tolerated him since he has the muscle to back up his bravado and he's also very smart. He knows how to market our goods and has brought a considerable amount money in. He also has helped farmers all over Hyrule keep their farms going when times are tough and also helped feed them in times when crops were bare. He's tolerated because many found him necessary to keep the town alive and other villages going. The only person that rivaled him was Malon, but Malon couldn't be everywhere at once. Because of this some people turned to Cian for help when Malon couldn't." Linka wanted to gag, saying anything good about Cian made her ill.

"The last night of the festival I went to Malon's house for a party. Everyone knew the night was going to end in an engagement; before leaving the house my Auntie had said she would not allow me to stay the night once it happened." Linka smiled sadly. "In Faron tradition, the bride carries a small basket of fruit to symbolize her fertility. Malon and I snuck off so often that my auntie would say she feared I would be carrying a small basket filled with the fruit of the womb instead of the land." Linka laughed sadly.

"Malon left me alone for just a minute, that's when Cian came up behind me. He asked me to dance and grabbed me before I could say anything. The whole thing felt wrong, but I didn't want to be rude or make a scene. I thought that if we stayed in public that nothing bad would happen. He began talking about how Malon was going to propose, that he'd seen the seed necklace, and when I tried to get away he held me tighter. He then pushed me to the ground and tried to... he tried to... assault me." Linka couldn't bring herself to say the word for it. " I managed to escape, but everyone noticed our absence and my appearance looked suspicious to them. In the struggle Cian managed to put a seed necklace around my neck to make it look like I chose him." Linka's voice began to crack. "I ripped it off of me once Malon pointed it out, but it was too late.

The way Malon looked at me when he saw that I had been alone with Cian, the way he accused me of wanting him. The anger in his voice, the way he threw his seed necklace on the ground... he wouldn't let me explain." her eyes looked haunted. "People accused me of asking for it, they claimed I wouldn't have been alone with him if I hadn't wanted to be. Afterwards people either went to comfort Malon or congratulate Cian on the engagement. My own aunt threw me to that monster despite knowing full well what had happened. She declared that under Faron's traditions that I had to go home with him. She said wedding preparations would start in the next morning. She did nothing as I was placed on his horse like a bag of produce from the market.

Once home he brought me to his room and... and said he wanted to finish where we left off. He began talking about how he couldn't wait to get me pregnant just to see the look on Malon's face. I felt more afraid in that room than I had behind Malon's house. Because in that room he could do whatever he wanted to me and there would have been nothing I could do. Just knowing that I had been delivered to that monster made me feel so weak. I felt worthless. The only reason I escaped is because his drunk friends were making a racket and he left to me alone to kick them out; it gave me a moment to pull myself together.

There are times I've wondered if it was my fault it happened. I've been mean to Cian a few times when we were kids. He was a bully back then, but I shouldn't have done what I did. What I did was nothing beyond calling him dumb or pathetic, or that one time I stole his wooden sword. I knew his reputation and maybe should've put up more of a fight when we were still around the others. Did I give the wrong impression by not resisting when I had the chance? I almost had sex with Malon several times before then, did that contribute to it? I would flirt from time to time with a few other guys and never went further than that, did that justify the attack? Why would someone do something that awful unless the person deserved it? Why would all of Faron turn on me like that unless I deserved it?" Linka said as she wiped away her tears. "Why would Malon throw me away like that? I was scared and pleaded to him for help; he said I embarrassed him and myself." her voice trailed off. "I've always beaten Cian in past fights, why was that night different? Why didn't I put up more of a fight?"

"Sounds like he attacked you to get revenge on Malon, you just happened to be the unfortunate target." said Taavi. "Even if you did everything right, there's no guarantee it wouldn't have happened. And if he couldn't attack you, he probably would have attacked someone else."

"Laws tend to be written for men, by men, to help men; it doesn't surprise me to hear that there were rules put into place to practically gift wrap a woman and hand her over to her rapist." said Sheik; Linka winced at the word.

"Terrible things happen to good people all the time for no reason at all. He was angry, you were there, and he planned it all out before showing up in the first place." said Taavi. "After you settled into that tree for the night, I followed him back to his home to see if he was going to continue being a problem. He and a friend of his were talking about the attack and that they had planned for every scenario, but hadn't planned on you to be willing to leave Faron over it. He said he was counting on you to feel so defeated that you'd stay. Hoping you'd feel trapped and without options. You didn't do anything to provoke it. He'd been planning it for a while. His exact words were: "months of planning and I finally get her where I want her. Then you drunk assholes ruin it". Not your fault."

"If Malon's going to blame you for what happened and claim that _you_ embarrassed _him_ , that's his problem. You can't blame yourself for that. If he bases his honor around something like this, then what honor does he have in the first place?" stated Sheik. "What happened was neither sex nor sexy, it was a violent crime. If he's going to blame you for it, then he's not really a man.

As for the attacker getting the upper hand in the fight. You were scared and this was a fight in which you knew he truly intended to hurt and humiliate you. There's the risk of pregnancy, disease, and that your reputation would be ruined; this wasn't a school yard fight. Sadly, it's the one crime in which the victim goes on trial." Sheik sighed.

"None of it was your fault. The psychological symptoms last longer then one night, there are days it will get to you. Never forget, you didn't ask for it and you didn't deserve it." Taavi said quietly. "Like I said, bad things happen to good people all the time for no reason."

"If he couldn't attack you, he would probably have attacked someone else just for the sake of it." stated Sheik.

"And what you said about you and Malon sneaking off to make-out. That's called being _human_. A typical human is biologically driven to reproduce and evolution made sex so amazing that you'd be willing to do it over and over and over again to make babies. Women are just as horny as men, society just dictates that they have to be sneakier about it." Taavi smiled. "They can't reasonably hold that against you."

All was silent for a moment. Linka was relieved to talk about it. The two brought up many good points and also confirmed her own beliefs. She still needed more time to sort out her thoughts, but talking did help. She smiled weakly at first, but a grin broke across her face and she began to laugh softly. A devious look in her glassy eyes.

"Time to spill the beans Sheik. Tell us a story about you." Linka went from distressed to devious.

Linka and Taavi looked at Sheik like wolves watching a wounded sheep. Sheik kept his cool and closed his eyes for a moment as he thought about what he was going to say. He crossed his arms and stayed perfectly still as he leaned back into his chair. He nodded his head every once in a while, then opened his eyes and leaned forward. Linka and Taavi leaned forward in anticipation.

"Linka, when you hit me-" he began.

"No! That can't be your story!" Taavi huffed angrily. "If Linka and I have to talk about our deep dark secrets, so do you! And for the last time, stop bitching about your balls! I get it, she's hit you three times!" Taavi sounded annoyed.

"Hey! I only hit him once!" Linka snorted as she crossed her arms.

"Oh! We forgot to tell you. You've been out for, like, six days. We woke you up periodically to eat and drink. The Inn keeper's wife helped you pee. Anyways, You punched Sheik in the dick twice while semi-conscious." Taavi laughed so hard he couldn't fly. "You should've seen his face!" Taavi was on his hands and knees. "Hey Sheik! Who am I?" he teased before making noises similar to a wounded wolfos while rolling around on top of the table.

"I can't tell you about Sheikah training or my past missions. That's all top secret." Sheik said as he crossed his arms. "As I said before, nothing confidential."

"If you can't tell us anything about you personally, then you can tell us about what's going on." Linka said in a serious tone. "Everyone's heard the stories and that The Hero is always born as a male. Everyone checks their first son's hands for the mark because of that. My parents made up a female version of the name because they saw the mark on my left one, then got a lot of crap for it because people thought it was disrespectful to name a girl after a legendary warrior we hold in such high regard. In The Tale of Skyloft, it was the soul of the Goddess Hylia that was needed to bring back Demise, so why does he need me?

How do I fit into this? And why all the hush-hush? You had to sneak me in and out of the palace to see Princess Zelda and you said had not even told her father, _The King_ , about what's happening?" her expression hardened and she crossed her legs. "I know for a fact that the royal family has men and women all of the kingdom reporting in for the census and what-not, why not pretend I'm one of them? Why sneak me around the place?"

Sheik was silent for a moment. Linka held her stern look to emphasize how serious she was. The longer it took him to answer the angrier she felt about what was happening. He sighed and opened his eyes.

"This is a sensitive subject." he declared.

"Oh! Oh! Tell her about those times you cock-blocked-" Taavi began.

"So, about what's going on. Let me think of how to tell this." Sheik interrupted with a calm demeanor.

As he thought about how to answer her question without revealing sensitive information she began to wonder about his cock-blocking. She giggled to herself as she thought of how Sheikah must do spy games by sneaking up on each other. The thought of how much more intense it must be for the Sheikah as compared to the small town snooping in Faron made her curious. To think of a serious person, like Sheik, having a cheeky side was amusing.

"After The Hero defeated Demise, Demise placed a curse on him and Zelda the First. He damned them both into a cycle of suffering. He said that he would drag their descendants into their feud so that those in their bloodline would never know peace. His curse even goes so far as so kill at least one of Zelda's parents and both of The Hero's in every rebirth before they reach the age of ten. That is why in each story the Princess Zelda is either working with her father or is already ruling the kingdom, and why The Hero's parents are never around. What many do not know is that Demise placed an additional curse on The Hero." Sheik paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"He cursed the hero to be reborn as a female either every 63rd generation, or rebirth, the translations from Old Hylian get fuzzy around there. He said that Hylians were prejudice towards women and wanted to throw that flaw in Hylia's face. He thought there would be no better way to destroy the humans Hylia loved so much than by having them turn on the person with the strength to save them in their time of need. Like what happened to you for example at that one festival; to have superior skills in something like archery, but be excluded from demonstrating them at the festival them because of your gender and threatened if you did it again.

While in female form the bloodline is easier to manipulate. As a male, it would be easy to have children around the kingdom and make it difficult to map out where the next reincarnation will be born. As a woman, tracking the lineage is much easier because she gets pregnant and has a harder time hiding her status of motherhood. Not to mention that if a mage or someone like Demise were to abduct you and forcibly impregnate you, they could easily keep track of their own lineage and just kill the next Hero while as a defenseless baby." said Sheik.

"That might go into why Ghirahim needs you alive." Sheik said as he bowed his head. "It would be disastrous if Demise were to have a child with you. We also know of a few others who have their eye on you."

"So, everyone wants these eggs?" Linka asked as she gestured to her lower abdomen.

"And are willing to do whatever they have to to get them. Especially a lot of really awful people. There are nastier things out there than Cian and those bandits, like Ghirahim for example." said Taavi. "He's one messed up son of a bitch." Taavi said as he shook his head.

"Why does his name sound so familiar?" asked Linka. "When he introduced himself I couldn't place where I'd heard it before?"

"I mentioned him when I told you the story of The Skyward Hero. Then again, you were also really drunk." Taavi grumbled. "He is the spirit that lives in Demise's sword. He's sadistic, he's persistent, and he's after you. I'm so glad I'm not you." Taavi cringed.

"During the Skyward Era, when Demise's seal first began to weaken, Ghirahim was able free himself and bring Zelda the First down to what we now call Hyrule. That is when my ancestor, Impa; Guardian of the Gates, was able to keep him at bay while Zelda was traveling from temple to temple to regain the memories of Hylia. According to our records he would not stop until he reached his goal; Impa was having to take Zelda across time in order to hide her from him. If he's re-enacting a scene from when Cian attempted to rape you, I'd seriously be prepared for him to go to any means necessary to break you down psychologically. I'd put nothing past him." Sheik warned.

"Despite how much there is to worry about, we'll do everything we can to help you." Taavi reassured her while glaring at Sheik.

"I can't candy-coat the details on this. We are dealing with a truly dangerous individual and we must be vigilant." stated Sheik.

"Do you think he would recruit Cian or those bandits?" asked Linka nervously.

"He might, but if he does I'm almost certain he would dispose of them once he finds no more use for them. There's also a chance he could kill them out of sheer spite of the competition or boredom. There's also a chance he could ignore them all together." Sheik pondered.

"You don't know. Just say you don't know." Taavi sighed. "It's okay for the big bad Sheikah to acknowledge that he doesn't know something."

"He's unpredictable, I'll say that." said Sheik.

"I know his weakness now, and with Taavi I'll be able to fight him off. Will you be traveling with us, or will you leave once my Goron tunic is finished?" asked Linka with a yawn.

"Unfortunately I can not. Since you are feeling better I will depart tonight. I must report back to her grace and gather more information." said Sheik. "Keep a low profile and don't use the Roc cape unless it's an emergency. People saw you flying around and it attracted a lot of attention. Unless you want to lead Cian to you, I'd advise against it." he added.

"When will you be back?" asked Linka.

"In a few days, there is something I must report back to Hyrule. I'll be back soon. Don't be rash and keep a low profile."

"Okay, have fun being being secretive!" Linka said with a smile as she waved to him.

Linka understood what he was saying and waved goodbye to him as he snuck out the window. She undressed until she was just in her undershirt and folded her tunic so Taavi could sleep on it. She relaxed as she thought about what she could do while he was away. She'd never been outside Faron before and wanted to explore the area. Kakoriko was larger than Faron, but not as big as she thought. She thought about whether she was really safe since Faron did a lot of trade with Kakoriko. She hoped her appearance was different enough that no one would recognize her if they did see her.

The next day she went into town and explored; she wore her hooded hunting cape to conceal her identity further. She went to the shooting gallery and managed to beat the high score. After getting kicked out for winning too many free games she explored the area some more and soon found a small empty space. She saw a what looked like a cave on a high ledge and wanted to investigate it. She and Taavi exchanged glances and looked around to see if anyone was watching so she could climb the wall.

Once on the ledge she walked in a little further and investigated the small cave. There was a circular stone slab in the middle with the Sheikah eye symbol and extinguished torches around it. In the darker part of the cave was a large stone slab with the Sheikah symbol; Linka walked up to it and ran her hand over the symbol.

"What do you think's behind it?" asked Taavi.

"I dunno, but I think-"

"I wouldn't go in there young lady." said a man from behind.

The man was a tall with tan skin and red eyes. The right side of his face was obscured by a bandage. The two attempted to act innocent, but they didn't fool him.

"I never thought I'd see the wielder of the Triforce of Courage in my lifetime, much less to see the wielder in the female part of the reincarnation cycle." he smiled. "I also get the pleasure of catching you in the act of trying to go where you're not allowed. I see why Sheik has been scurrying about so quickly, he's trying to keep the Hero from going where she shouldn't." the man laughed.

"Who are you?" asked Linka as she drew her blade, this seemed to amuse him.

"I'm Bongo, a member of the Sheikah tribe. I can't tell you what I do, but I can tell you that you're not supposed to be here. We Sheikah like our secrets, no matter how small." he grinned.

"And," Linka said without lowering her sword.

"We've got something nasty in there. Just in case you want to sneak back later." he smiled. "Looks like I'm going to have to watch this place very closely now. I know you Courage wielders are an energetic bunch and to say something's dangerous is more of an invitation than a warning. Come, there is much I wish to discuss with you." he said before gesturing to the exit.

"Uh..." was all Linka could say.

"I understand, after what you've been through you've every right to be suspicious of me." said Bongo. "I see all."

"Really? You were able to guess that a young woman would not jump to going to a strange man's house?" Linka snorted.

"Not to mention that everyone in every spy ring of Hyrule knows about what happened to her." Taavi said and earned a dirty look from Linka.

"Indeed I have only pointed out the obvious, but I do see so much more." said Bongo as he removed the bandage covering the right side of his face.

His right eye was purple and abnormally large for his face, and the pupil was cat-like. Over the eye he had three tattoos of red triangles. Linka gawked at the sight, she could not stop staring at how odd his face looked.

"Linka!" Taavi scolded.

"It's alright, I'm use to it." said Bongo as he focused his strange eye on Linka. "I usually can determine someone's fate upon a single glance, but not you." he said. "Which path will you take once this journey ends? Will you serve the royal family and do as her grace asks? Will you fall and become enslaved by an ancient adversary? Or will you find peace with your past? It's too bad I won't live long enough to see which path you take, but I know it will certainly not be one without it's own adventure. I do not envy you. Regardless of what you do, you will meet a terrible fate. It's only a matter of whether or not you keep running." he said before turning to Taavi.

"I know you'll do well in guiding her as she battles Demise. I also know that when you told her about your past that you left out some crucial details. She reminds you very much of someone you once knew, someone you never stopped thinking about while you were imprisoned. I see the pain you feel when you look at Linka, the way those painful memories flood back of when the woman you longed for was ripped from your arms." he said in a sad tone. "I wish I could help you reconsider, but I see your mind has been made." he said in a solemn tone as he bowed his head in sympathy. "Fate is not a toy for me to play with; for that I dare not intervene.

Know this Linka, the hardships you will face on your journey is greater than anything the other heroes have ever gone through. History will likely not remember you and your deeds will likely be accredited to others, but you mustn't lose hope. Because if you do, Hyrule will fall." he said sadly. "Hyrule may never sing their praises for you, but there are a few who will. That's only if you keep fighting, you must protect us from ourselves." he said with a small smile.

"Why are you telling me this?" Linka asked suspiciously.

"I find you fascinating. Since I won't live long enough to see how things turn out or be of much help on your quest, at the very least I would like to let you know your options." said Bongo. "Once you get your tunic you should go straight to Death Mountain. You're not going to want to stay in Kakoriko any longer than needed." he said before throwing down a deku nut.

"Fuck! My eyes! I hate when they do that!" cursed Taavi.

"Watch your fucking language!" grumbled Linka as she rubbed her eyes.

"Always with the deku nuts! Why must they always blind people with deku nuts!" Taavi continued.

"Give my eyes a chance to stop hurting and we'll head back." Linka said as she tried to open her eyes.

Once their eyes stopped stinging they climbed down and left the empty space. As they walked out they noticed Bongo standing outside of a house very close where they met him. He made eye-contact with Linka as a silent way of saying he saw her. He nodded in her direction and walked into his home without a word.

"If he was going to let us know where he lives, what was the point with the deku nut exit?" asked Taavi.

"Maybe he didn't want us to see his magical abilities. Not to mention how secretive the Sheikah are about everything." Linka shrugged.

As they walked back they could hear very lively music coming from a tavern close to the Inn. Linka began to walk into the tavern until Taavi blocked her path.

"What are you doing? We should be heading back. Besides, Sheik said to keep a low profile." said Taavi.

"What's wrong with a little excitement? We're just going in for a meal, no big deal." Linka waved him off and continued on in.

The place was lively as people raised their glasses to drinking songs. Two men wearing the royal crest lead the songs while playing the guitar. Linka sat close to the back corner so she could see everyone in the room. She ate her meal in silence and listened to the music. The happy tunes made her problems seem distant as she began to hum to the music. She opened her eyes when she heard a drum beat to see Bongo playing a large drum. He nodded to her and went back to playing music.

"Hey Flat! Play Fairies of the Faron Wood!" requested a very drunk patron.

"Fairies of the Faron Wood!" Called out another.

"Come on Sharp! You said you'd play it!"

"We need a fiddle player for that one, and a woman who knows the song." Flat laughed. "And I don't think either of us can sing that part well."

"How about the young lady in the back?" asked Bongo as he pointed out Linka. "Oh, come on. It'll be fun." he grinned as he saw Linka try to obscure her face.

"Can you pay the fiddle?" asked Sharp.

"Of course she can, I've seen her do it. Come play for us!" Bongo cheered.

Linka felt the peer pressure to play. She already had everyone focused on her and she wasn't very happy about it. She didn't know what Bongo was up to and she quickly glanced across the room for anyone who would possibly know her. She saw no one from Faron and figured she'd go along with it. She decided afterwards she would go take a long path to her room to ensure no one followed her.

"Do you have a fiddle for me to play?" she asked.

"Here you go, I've never been any good at playing it." Bongo said with a smile and a lie as he handed her the fiddle.

Elsewhere in Hyrule:

A Sheikah woman stands on the wall surrounding the palace. She's tall with her hair tied back into a tight bun with the loose parts braided and pinned back. She looks over Castle Town's empty streets as the stray dogs run about to clean the scraps left over from the day. She loved watching the nightly rituals of the dogs as they struggled over territory disputes and made alliances as they fought for food and water sources. Seeing them doing something humans have done for as long as memory holds humbled her; it reminded her of how much humans had in common with other species. The feeling of someone's presence brought her out of her philosophical pondering.

"How does the harp fare?" she asked without turning around.

"The harp fares well. Taavi and I were able to fix the broken strings, but I will keep an eye on them since they will likely need to be repaired again." answered Sheik.

"Good, and the beast?"

"The beast is acting as expected, I worry the beast will use the broken strings to its advantage. I've already seen it in action from the way it played the harp's strings. I worry we should fear the beast more than the gardener." Sheik stated.

"What about Taavi? Has he followed through on his commitment?" she asked as she turned around.

"He got lazy at one point, but I think The Great Fairy has straightened him out. He now helps as he should. There are times he talks as if he's larger than he really is and I don't think that will go away in time." he sighed as he face-palmed.

"It doesn't matter. So long as he does as needed, her grace says it will be fine. Her grace has foreseen all scenarios and is willing to hedge her bets. Princess Zelda trusts your judgement and says if you feel that the beast poses a greater threat than expected, you may do as you please to prevent the worst. She went on to say that the most important thing to think about who is playing the harp.

"Are you suggesting...?" Sheik asked.

"If she winds up in the hands of the beast, just make sure she gets out in time." said Impaz. "Her grace and I agree that there are few places safer than to place the harp in your hands. We trust you know how to pluck the correct strings."

Sheik stood silently for a moment as he absorbed the new change in strategy. He nodded and turned to leave. He stopped again as a question came to mind.

"The gibdos are out of the cemetery, if that's what you're asking. We must also not keep her in Kakoriko for too much longer. We have a musician who plans to perform his own piece soon." Impaz stated, Sheik nodded in response. "I need you to go to Hylia and meet with your contact." she instructed.

"Yes Impaz," he said before vanishing with a deku nut.

Though she didn't show it, that deku nut hurt her eyes horribly. Had it not been dark one might have seen her eyes tearing from the pain of the sudden bright light. She looked down at the dogs in the streets and thought about how there was one difference between humans and animals; humans are masters in making themselves miserable, such is the practice of deku nut throwing.


	6. Escape to Death Mountain

A/N: As I have mentioned before, this is a story with dark and disturbing themes. I'm trying to keep this within a T-rating. Reader discretion advised.

Linka played the last part of the song and people cheered. It had been a long time since she played the fiddle. It felt nice to do something not related to the mission. The song Fairies of Faron had always been a favorite of hers from its happy tune and mix of simplicity and complexity in its rhythm. More songs were requested and she continued to play. She even began to dance to the rhythm of the music as good memories of her life before the Spirit was awakened came back. Sharp began to dance as well while playing his guitar and the crowd began to clap in rhythm with the music; at one point he gestured for her to dance with him as the other two carried the tune. For the first time in so long Linka felt like the life of the party and like a normal woman her age. As the night wore on people began to leave and Linka handed the fiddle back to Bongo.

"No, take it. I'm no good with it." Bongo insisted.

"Will you join us tomorrow night as well? We'd love to have another musician." asked Flat.

"I'd love to!" said Linka.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to relax a little." said Taavi.

"I saw the Goron you commissioned a tunic from come to town. He might be finished." said Bongo.

"I'll check with him tomorrow. If he's done then we'll leave the day after. Nothing wrong with taking a break to play some music." Linka giggled.

Linka climbed to the top of the highest point of the village and pulled out her fiddle to play the Song of Storms. She felt a calming sensation as she continued the song. Taavi landed next to her and dozed off as he listened.

"What's that song?" asked Taavi.

"My mother called it The Song of Storms, she would sing it for me when I was small. My father would play it on the fiddle when there was a bad storm. He claimed that the best way to get through any storm was to play a happy tune to remind you that there are still good things in life." she said with a smile. "Well, that's weird." said Linka as her fiddle began to glow before fading back to normal.

"You miss them, huh?" asked Taavi, unimpressed by the glowing instrument.

"Yeah, but I wonder what Sheik meant when he said Demise's curse went further into killing both parents of the Hero." she wondered out loud. "Does that mean I'm responsible for their deaths?"

"The Spirit of the Hero is as much a blessing as a curse. Great power and courage, but you must suffer through trauma no one should have to face. That's why the goddesses provided companions, so you wouldn't be alone." said Taavi. "And no, their deaths aren't your fault. It was Demise who placed the curse, blame him."

"Come on, let's go back, looks like rain," said Linka as she led them back through a long and winding path to avoid anyone who may have been following.

The next morning:

"Here you are tiny lady, see if it fits first." the Goron said as he gestured to an area of the store blocked off by a curtain.

She went behind the curtain to change and walked out wearing her new tunic. She stretched to make sure it fit and did a back flip to make sure the headpiece stayed on. It felt weird to wear a dodongo skull on her head and felt it would take some getting used to to stare out from inside the monster's mouth. She ran her hand over the top and felt the spine as it reached the tip of the hat.

"I like to keep the spines intact so if you get ambushed you can whip'em in the head. Dodongo juveniles do that for defense which make their spines and tails the best for it." he said gruffly as Linka played with the tail bone. "I also left the claws attached to the feet to help you climb if needed and because it helps with traction should you be close to lava. Even with the tunic, that lava will hurt." said Daru.

"It fits well, thank you for the tunic." Linka said with a slight bow.

"If you bring me more skins, I'll pay a good price for them." Daru said as she went behind the curtain to change into her regular clothes.

She went back to the room to make sure everything was packed. She folded her new tunic and began to think about her new adventures in Death Mountain. She ran a finger over the material used for the pants and though about the dinalofos she struggled with in the volcano. She decided against wearing the green tunic for the evening and wore the dress Sheik gave her.

"Why aren't you wearing the green outfit?" asked Taavi. "It'll be better for camouflage should we have to run."

"I'm trying to keep a low profile and people stare at me more when I wear that. Especially since it has a weird hat." said Linka as she prepared her fiddle for the night.

"The hat gives me a place to stay while you fight. The Goron tunic's hat is a helmet that also works to swat off enemies from behind. It's not just an odd fashion." Taavi said.

"In any case, tonight will be our last night here and in the morning we head out." said Linka.

"What'll we do till tonight? We've got time before Bongo, Flat, and Sharp need us at the tavern." asked Taavi.

"Let's go to Bongo's place. It's worth a shot." said Linka. "Maybe he'll know why my fiddle started glowing last night."

As they approached his home they could see him standing outside. He opened the door and gestured for them to enter. Once inside his house looked like what she'd expect from a witch's house. He gestured for them to sit at the table and came over with his drums. Linka pulled out her fiddle figuring he wanted to practice together.

"I heard you playing last night on the tower, such a lovely song." said Bongo. "I don't know if you noticed, but it started raining after you played it."

"Yeah, but I'm sure it's a coincidence." answered Linka. "Speaking of which, why did my fiddle start glowing when I was playing it?"

"Since you've been given the gift of magic, you can now manipulate it with music. The fiddle you hold is made from a branch of The Great Deku Tree who guards the Kokiri Woods within The Lost Woods. With it you can summon The Great Fairy, teleport to certain locations, and heal others. I want to teach you Zelda's Lullaby and The Song of Healing." Bongo said before playing on his drum.

After messing up a few times Linka learned the songs. It felt strange the way the magic pulsed in the room. After each song her fiddle seemed to glow.

"The lullaby is a sacred song used by messengers of the royal family. There are many places that will bar you entry unless you play this song. The other is used to heal those who have suffered emotionally. It calms them and reminds them that there is still good in their life, or that it is time to let go and find peace. Unfortunately, it will not be able to heal a wielder of the Triforce. It is said that Hylia had tempered the Hero's Spirit to survive hardship that no ordinary human could, so Demise saw to it that no healing magic would help soothe his psyche.

Regardless of what happens or who betrays you, don't push others away." Bongo warned. "As a woman, you are in great danger because of where society has placed you. Unlike those before you, you have no room for error. Don't give in to a terrible fate." said Bongo.

"That's why I'm here! I'll keep her on the right path." Taavi said as he puffed out his chest.

"That's what I'm worried about." Bongo said in a defeated tone. "You are without a doubt very intelligent, but I fear how close the two of you have become. Nothing good will come out of it; only a broken heart, you know that Taavi."

"Nothing is certain and you know it." stated Taavi. "Besides, I don't think humans and fairies can... how should I say this? Uh, we're so different in size it just wouldn't work out..." stated Taavi. "Sorry Linka, none of this hot fairy body for you." he teased as he struck a pose.

"Let's... let's go to the tavern." Bongo sighed.

Linka and Taavi both stared at Bongo for a moment before following him. They played music for a good period of time. When they stopped to eat Linka wiped her mouth a in a dramatic fashion to show Taavi she knew proper dining etiquette. Taavi and Linka soon began to converse in way to make fun of high class women in a mock tone of voice. The two laughed together and ignored Bongo's mournful expression as he shook his head. Flat signaled for them to go back on stage and begin playing again.

"Any suggestions?" called Sharp to the patrons.

"Anything that involves her singing!" one person shouted.

"Suitors and Ladies! Play that!" shouted another.

"What's that song?" asked Bongo.

"It's from Odin village about marriage proposals. Men and women take turns singing verses and when one is unable to improvise on the spot another takes their place. This is done until every man and woman has had at least one turn. It's a really fun song usually sung at weddings, if you have the right people." said Linka. "The men are suppose to do mock proposals and women do mock rejections. My friend Groosina was a master of this game."

"Very well, who would like to challenge the lovely Linka?" Flat asked the crowd.

"Step this way if you wish to participate!" announced Sharp as he gestured to the side of the stage.

Linka put her fiddle down and the three played the music. She loved this game and memorized a few lines she'd heard from singing this before. She loved this game from the playful way people could poke fun of each other and the crowd was drunk enough she felt it wouldn't be too hard to be wittier than them.

"Oh, hello to the lady in green. May I ask you for this dance? I'd like to do more if you know what I mean, go further with this romance." sang the challenger.

"Yes I would like to dance, with the one all dressed in brown. You're the best fellow in town, but please keep up your pants." Linka sang with a smirk.

"I'd bring you... ahhh" the challenger couldn't think of anything to say and went back to his seat as the crowd booed him off the stage for the next challenger.

Lake Hylia:

"Have you any news?" asked Sheik.

"When is that woman coming? We haven't much time!" said an impatient Zora.

"She is now at Death Mountain assisting the Gorons, she won't be there much longer." Sheik stated.

"The Gorons! Why you send her to help those brainless oafs before us? We can shut off your water supply-"

"Because she needed to meet with one of The Great Fairies to gain the ability to use magic. The one residing within your domain is only accessible in the winter." Sheik said to calm the Zora. "We are not picking favorites, I assure you." he said with a slight bow.

"In any case, Her Majesty is growing impatient. Hylia's chosen knight was suppose to be here already, what's taking her so long?" asked the Zora.

"She was working to gain the trust of the Gorons before moving on with her task." said Sheik.

"She had better hurry. The Zora can only wait so much longer until we run out of supplies. This is urgent!" the Zora growled.

"I understand your concerns. I will send Linka here right after she's finished with her current task." Sheik bowed.

"Oh, I know she will." the Zora grinned. "You humans weren't the only ones who noticed when she fled Faron." though Sheik remained stoic, the Zora knew he had his attention.

"I am aware that there were others watching her. I know Queen Ralisia had at least two scouts monitoring _the seahorse_ at all times of the day." Sheik said using the Zora code-word for Linka to emphasize how much he knew.

"What you may not know it that is that we made a swap with some rogues that lived close her her home village." the Zora smiled. "We allowed them to borrow something very special to track her down." he laughed slightly as he noticed Sheik slightly stiffen.

"Why would Queen Ralisia give an heirloom so important to thieves? You need Linka as much as we all do, why risk it?" asked Sheik. He remained stoic, but inside he wanted to strangle the Zora.

"To light a fire under her butt to make sure she moved around faster. We wanted to... motivate her into ridding of the _gardener_ as fast as possible." the Zora smirked. "Not to mention we fully intend to rip her from _the beast's_ claws as soon as this is all over." said the Zora. "Her Majesty knows more about what Princess Zelda is planning than she's let on."

"Did any of you take into consideration the risks involved with that?" Sheik sighed.

"We did, but fear not. We too don't want such a prestigious bloodline to mix with the likes of them. In any case; Ticktock, Hyrulian, ticktock," he said with a dismissive wave before diving back into the water.

Sheik walked away at a regular pace until the lake was out of sight. He sprinted across Hyrule Field at an amazing speed. He knew that trouble was headed for Kakoriko, but the Zoras had just cut down the time they had significantly. He only hoped he got to Linka first, this made her vulnerable in many ways.

Kakoriko Village:

Linka finished playing at the tavern and was taking the long way around town to prevent anyone from following her. The night air felt cool and the village was quiet. She looked around to admire the fireflies as they flew about glowing.

"All ready to head out Death Mountain tomorrow?" asked Taavi happily.

"I sure am, it's gonna be great get that next stone and then _move_ on out." said Linka. "Where do we go after Death Mountain?"

"We go out to Lake Hylia. Something nasty's been attacking them as they go out to gather food. Have you ever met a Zora before?" asked Taavi. "Humans outside the royal family don't interact with them all that much."

"I, well, I _have_ met a Zora before... in fact, I've met two." Linka said as she held up two fingers. Her posture suggested her meeting with the Zoras was not a pleasant one.

"What happened?" said Taavi as he rolled his eyes. "Did you use a sinking lure?"

"I was washing clothes by the river with some friends when two of them sprung out of the water and dragged me under when I was 10 years old." Linka shivered. "Then I felt myself being dragged in several directions before I blacked out. By the time I woke up I was in my father's arms and there were people all around me. After that Malon would try to protect me from every water source around," she giggled," like the time he assaulted a puddle because he thought Zoras could just appear out of any water source." Linka said with a sad smile. "But now I'm a _big_ girl with a _real_ sword. If they try t again, I will be prepared." she said with a cheesy smile as they entered the inn.

"Well, they're not going to be able to drown you now. You've got me!" Taavi bragged.

"Yeah, 'cause if they do, I'll grab onto you so when we get dragged underwater together. Then a big fish can see you from a distance and come eat both of us." she laughed. "Then we'll be digested alive instead."

"Har-har-har, very funny." Taavi grunted and flew a little ahead of her as they got closer to the room; that's when Linka stopped.

"You okay?" asked Taavi. "You don't look so good."

"We have to get out of here!" Linka whispered urgently as she began to slowly walk away.

"What's wrong?" Taavi asked worried.

"I have everything we need with me! No time!" she said as she began to power-walk away.

"What's happening?" Taavi whispered while freaking out as they left the inn.

"Someone's in the room, we-" she said before being grabbed from behind and having a wet cloth slammed over her nose and mouth. Everything went black.

Sometime later:

Linka awoke later feeling disoriented. She felt the slight rocking of what she was laid on and the sound of rotating wheels told her she was on a wagon of some sort. She tried to move, but was restrained and was unable to speak when she attempted to ask where she was out loud. She could hear voices around her, but between her headache and dizziness she was unable to think straight or understand what they were saying.

"Is she up yet?" asked one person.

"I've been hearing her moving around, but I doubt she's entirely with us." laughed another.

As she came more to her senses she felt panic starting to rise up. She began to process that she had been gagged, and that her arms and legs were shackled together. She pulled two long thing daggers from her sleeve and began to pick the locks on her chains before hiding them again. She pulled the gag from mouth and looked around her. She sat up too quickly and lost focus.

"She's up! You sleep well, honey?" mocked a voice she knew was Bone-Pick.

She blankly stared at the bandit as she tried to reprocess her surroundings again. She recognized his face, but her mind was still so groggy she could not get her body to move. She lightly shook her head and felt herself coming back a little more.

"I hope so, because she won't be sleeping much for the next week." purred Cian; her blood ran cold at the sound of his voice.

"Since she's up, you gonna go consummate your marriage in the back of the wagon now?" a bandit asked as he laughed.

"I'm going to wait until we get back to Faron. I want to see her sweat as we get closer and closer." Cian smirked. "I have a friend that lives across from Malon's place. He said her and I can go there for our wedding night, you know, so he can hear us." he laughed.

Linka felt nauseous as he watched her with a predatory look. She looked around and found her belongings on Cian's horse. She concentrated on figuring out how to get her stuff back and escape. No one had noticed that she freed herself from her restraints and continued to act as sedated as she could to buy her more time; not that it was hard, she still was to a degree. She tried to stand to test her legs and stumbled a bit, at the amusement of the others. Once she was able to stand she held onto the shackles and began to swing them over her head. Before anyone could process that she was free she chucked them at Bone-Pick as a distraction and then jumped on Cian's horse to kick him off. Once he hit the ground she began to charge back to Kakoriko village with the others close behind.

She pulled out her bow and began to shoot at the bandits to knock them off their horses. Once she got to Kakoriko village she tried to ride up to the summit, but the horse stubbornly refused to budge, so she climbed to the highest point and pulled out her Roc cape. She jumped and soared through the sky towards Death Mountain. From high above she could see Cian and the bandits. From that height they seemed insignificant and she stuck her tongue out at them, knowing full well they were too far to notice. Once she noticed them pointing at her she turned toward Death Mountain and began to lean against the light wind pushing her back. Soon the wind was at her back and pushed her up and away from danger.

Bongo held something that looked like a composer's baton and watched Linka become more and more distant. He sighed sadly as he turned away and walked into his house. He sat on a chair by a table in the middle of the room and began to run a finger over a small clear stone with twine tied around it to form a makeshift handle to attach to a belt that gently glowed in the candle light.

"It's rude to lurk in doorways, come out Impaz." he said without looking up.

"To not acknowledge someone while in your home right away is also rude." Impaz replied.

"We Sheikah are seldom polite, just diplomatic." said Bongo laughed sadly. "Even to each other."

"Why did you use the Wind Waker to help her? I thought you wanted nothing to do with this case." asked Impaz as she crossed her arms.

"I worry about her, Impaz. She's so young and full of life, why must we break her like this?" he asked.

"She's the Spirit of the Hero reborn. She was assigned this role by fate, just as it is for Her Grace to one day rule Hyrule." answered Impaz.

"You know what I'm talking about." he groaned "Why would Her Grace even consider it?"

"Just imagine the possibilities." shrugged Impaz. "Admit it, even you want to see what could come from this."

"But at what cost? We could lose her trust, destroy her! The Hero is certainly not fragile in any way, but even heroes have their limits. Should we really test those limits? What should happen if Her Grace loses her to the beast? I saw the Beast not too long ago, he's onto your plan and I know he plans to use it against you. Impaz, you must be forward about this information or all of Hyrule could suffer for it."

"Her Grace has a plan for that." Impaz stated. "Don't interfere, I'm warning you."

"I'm not getting involved, I'm just trying to make things as comfortable as I can for her." said Bongo. "She has far fewer allies than she thinks, and more enemies than she can imagine."

"But she has people who don't want her to fall to neither the gardener nor the beast; that makes them the best allies she can ask for. I assure you, I'm having more trouble with them than I do with our current problem."

"This does not ease my concern. Please, don't throw her to the beast. It'll be far worse than anything the gardener could do to her." said Bongo. "I've seen the damage to come. She's suffered enough, why add on?"

"Stay out of this. Interfere any more and you will pay dearly." Impaz growled before leaving.

Death Mountain:

Linka flew to the summit with ease. She quickly changed into her Goron tunic and stood before the entrance. She felt nervous about entering because of what had happened last time. The hot air felt less intense than before, but the hunting trip still hung over her head.

"You coming in this time?" asked Linka.

"You'd die without me." Taavi said as he puffed out his chest.

The two entered the volcano with their heads held high. Though the volcano was still hot, it was far more bearable than the first time. Linka explored the area to check for keys and switches as she walked further in. The sound of an ear-splitting roar caused the area to shake; rocks fell and blocked the entrance. Linka and Taavi looked at the entrance and back at each other.

"Well, that sucks. Looks like we can only go further in." Taavi shrugged

They encountered many of the same creatures Linka had during her first time in. She had an easier time fighting and the tunic held up very well. She thought about taking up Daru's offer of bringing back skins to make money, but felt she wasn't in the mood to carry that kind of dead weight. The puzzles were similar in a way to the ones in the Forgotten Sanctuary, except they were spitting fire. If her hair wasn't so drenched in sweat, the flaming keese might have succeeded in setting her head on fire. The puzzles she hated most had the false doors that tried to crush her when she touched their knobs.

"I probably should have asked this sooner, but what are we looking for exactly? Besides the dragon ruby." asked Linka as Taavi did the typical anime fall over.

"We're looking for the silver power attachments for your gauntlets. That way you can lift heavy objects and such." Taavi sighed. "There's also a weapon called the Megaton Hammer around here somewhere. You're going to need it to defeat the dragon that has the Dragon Ruby."

"Are we close to it?" asked Linka.

"Yes, I can sense it behind this door." said Taavi as he buzzed around a door a short distance away. Linka stared blankly when the key broke as she unlocked it. "You know? After two dungeons and fifty locked doors, I would've thought you could figure out how to do this without breaking the key every time." Taavi stated before zipping back under her hat.

Behind the door was a switch and a staircase that led up to a flaming platform; the door behind her became blocked off by an iron gate. When she stepped on the switch the fire was extinguished and a chest became visible. She raced up the stairs and dodged the flaming keese as they charged at her. She swung open the chest and took the Megaton Hammer from it. It felt heavy, but nothing she couldn't handle. As she began to walk down the stairs the platform began to crumble. She ran down the platform and dodged the flaming keese again and frantically looked for a way to open the door. She spotted a rusted switch and prepared to swing the hammer. When she hit the switch the iron gate shot up and she frantically opened the door as the ground began to give way.

"That was a close one!" Linka panted as she tried to catch her breath.

"What'd I miss?" asked Taavi.

"We almost fell into the pit of lava, no biggy." said Linka with a shrug.

"Kay," was all Taavi said. "Don't forget, death is hazardous to your health." he yawned. "Onto the dragon!"

Linka continued on and found another door. An iron gate slammed down after she entered. A large dinalfos appeared from the distance and charged. She had never seen one as large as this one and it belched fire as it approached. When it struck with its sword she was pushed back a good distance. She managed to block just in time before it could crack open her skull with its next attack.

"It's using the silver power pieces you need!" shouted Taavi.

"Got it!" Linka yelled back as she pushed away from the wall.

She duck, dove, and twisted away from the dinalfos as she tried to find an opening. It grabbed her and tried to throw her into the lava, but she managed to grab hold of its wrist and held on. She twisted around and impaled it through the eye with her sword. It slowly sank to its knees and then fell in a massive heap. She took the silver pieces and added them to her gauntlets. To test them out she lifted the massive corpse to find it now seemed to weigh nothing, so she skinned it to sell later and whistled as she did so.

"This is gonna get me some good money." Linka smiled as she snuggled with the skin as though it were a pillow.

"You're a sick woman." said Taavi. "Onto the dragon then?"

"Lead the way!"

The two continued a short way before finding an ornate door. Linka opened it slowly and tiptoed in. She could hear the sound of something snoring and looked to see where it was coming from. She jumped in surprise when she saw the dragon shift its weight and let out a large plume of fire as it sighed in its sleep. She pulled out the hammer and raised it above her head to strike the dragon down. After she hit the dragon it shot up into the air as it tried to escape. She watched the dragon as it twisted about the stalactites and coiled itself up. The dragon slowly moved towards her like a snake ready to strike. When it shot out she hit the dragon as hard as she could with the hammer.

As the dragon laid stunned she continued to bash the dragon's head. Once the sound of the skull cracking was heard the dragon screeched in pain and belched fire. She dodged the flames and hit the dragon again, but in the eye. As the dragon opened its mouth again she impaled its bottom jaw and stabbed it through to the floor hard enough to trap it. She then proceeded to pound the dragon's skull with the hammer until its skull cracked open. She continued to beat the skull as the body began to shake. When the body went still she removed her sword and sheathed it.

"Yeash, look at all the brains. They look so gray and disgusting." cringed Taavi.

"Do I need to sort through them too?" asked Linka.

"Yeppers! If it's not in the skull fragments, it's gotta be in the brains." said Taavi.

Linka sorted through the brains with the same enthusiasm as she had the spider guts; even saying "eww, eww, eww" while doing so. Once she found the stone she pulled it out and it began to glow. It split into two and shrunk down to fit into the indent on her gauntlets; afterwards the ground gave out beneath them. They had landed on another platform not far from an exit. They heard a growl behind them and turned to find something horrifying.

"Holy Hyrule!" was all Linka could say as they found themselves face-to-face with the largest King Dodongo either had ever seen. It opened its mouth to breathe fire.

"Bomb flower! Throw the fucking bomb flower!" shouted Taavi in panic.

When Linka threw the bomb into its mouth, it swallowed with a confused expression and then fell to the ground in pain. The impact of it hitting the ground caused the cavern to collapse on top of it and trap it. Linka jumped onto its head and slit open its eye and stuffed a bomb inside it. This caused the King Dodongo to breathe more fire. Linka repeated the same thing on the other side and soon afterwards the King Dodongo stopped moving. Linka dropped to her knees as she tried to regain her composure. She stared in horror of the blasted eye goo all over the place.

"Well, that was gross." said Taavi.

"Are we done yet?" asked Linka.

"Yeah, we're done." panted Taavi. "Look! The exit!" he shouted gleefully.

The two bounded for the exit and cheered as though they were starving men going to a buffet. When the two got outside Linka kissed the ground and Taavi zipped around. Linka rolled over onto her back and gazed lovingly at the open sky.

"It's so nice to be back on solid ground." she smiled as she stretched out.

"Ditto!" said Taavi.

"Is that the tiny human woman Daru made that tunic for?" asked a large gruff-sounding voice; Linka and Taavi looked up to see several Gorons close by.

"He-hello... how are all of you today?" asked Linka nervously.

"We appreciate you taking care of that dragon, but we'll be taking that there hammer back." one Goron grunted.

"How about I give you this giant dinal-" said Linka before she noticed she was no longer carrying it; she looked dumbstruck and her eye twitched.

"What happened?" Taavi rolled his eyes.

"I-I..I think I dropped it when we fell after beating the dragon." Linka almost cried. "I swear, it was _this_ _big_!" she said as she held out her arms. "But much bigger!"

"Yeah-yeah, Daru's told us that one a million times before, now give us the hammer, or else!" huffed another Goron.

"Or else _what_?" asked Taavi.

"Or else we'll break her boyfriend's legs." growled the Goron as they stepped aside and a Goron holding a semiconscious Sheik and held his arms behind his back came into view. Two other Gorons stood on either side, each holding a leg.

" _Fine_ , here's your hammer." sighed Linka as she handed over the hammer; Sheik was released after the exchange was made. He fell to the ground in a heap.

"Now be good little humans and stay out!" warned the biggest one as they wall walked away.

"You okay?" asked Linka as she placed his head on her lap, he laid there for a moment.

"I'm fine, they just got me good in the stomach." Sheik coughed as he tried to sit up. "Did you get the stone?" he asked, Linka proudly displayed her gauntlets in response. "Good, we must move onto the next target, Lake Hylia."

"Are we going to be dealing with Zoras?" asked Linka with dread.

"Yes, why do you ask?" asked Sheik.

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Linka said with a nervous laugh.

"A pair of Zoras tried to drown her when she was small." answered Taavi, which earned him a glare from Linka.

"I assure you, those two weren't trying to drown you." said Sheik calmly. "They were just trying to abduct you." he said calmly.

"They were trying to what!" Linka said with great surprise.

"Yeah, the only reason you actually grew up in Faron and not in captivity somewhere is because none of the scouts sent to spy on you could actually grab you." said Taavi bluntly. "It was really entertaining to watch sometimes." he laughed.

"Why?" Linka growled dangerously. "Did the other heroes have to put up with this?"

"Nope," said Sheik as Linka now glared at him. "It's part of the 63rd rebirth curse. Your genes are a precious commodity and many are willing to kill for the honor or mixing their's with yours. It's a big part of the reason the royal family doesn't tell everyone about the occasional female rebirth."

"I've killed dragons, giant spiders, and other nasty monsters. I've been chosen by a sacred blade to wield it, I am the rebirth of a legendary hero, and all they do is stare at my ass." she grumbled. "I don't get it, I'm suppose to save all these tribes which all want to attack me."

"They've all tried to attack most of the other heroes, just not in the way they're trying to attack you." said Sheik very softly.

"Look on the bright side. After this, you will have your veritable pick of the litter from all sorts of males all over the kingdom who will have no idea how to please you." Taavi teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. He seemed to droop a bit when Linka didn't laugh.

"Whatever, let's go." said Linka in annoyance, but stopped suddenly when a flame shot from her hand. "What the!"

"I told you, you get a type of pyrokenetic power when you get the Dragon Ruby. Just remember that it-" Sheik began before he suddenly had to dodge a great plume of fire.

Linka began to shoot fire balls in all directions as she explored her new power. She focused on the ground and began to shoot fire onto the ground beneath her. She focused harder and began to lift off the ground. She lost balance and fell backwards and felt too dizzy to sit up; she soon started laughing.

"Whoa, that was awesome! Woot!" she exclaimed happily as Sheik knelt down to lift her.

"Magic drains your stamina, remember?" sighed Sheik.

"Yeah, but I got to shoot _fire_ out of my _hands_!" she giggled as she showed Sheik her hands.

"Come on, I'll carry you." Sheik grumbled as he lifted her up onto his back and she wrapped her arms around his neck; he soon heard the light sound of her snoring.

"Aww, she trusts you." said Taavi as he nudged Sheik's shoulder.

"It's my duty to see to it she is safe until the Spirit of the Hero is fully awakened. This next stone should bring her to her full potential. That is all." said Sheik as he adjusted her on his back; she reacted by wiggling and holding him tighter.

"Oh really? I'd think you were trying to get-" Taavi laughed.

"She's got enough people after her that view her as nothing but a broodmare, and I'm not one."

"Well _excuse_ me Sheik!" Taavi grumbled.

The Summit of Death Mountain at night:

"Where is that wench!" growled Bone-Pick.

"Boss? Can we give on up this? I say we cut our loses and just go back to stealing." panted a bandit.

"Yeah, we can always rebuild the fort. I just don't think this broad's worth it any more." wheezed another before he collapsed.

"Then get lost, cause I can't give up! I take what I want and I'll be _damned_ if I lose my Harvest festival prize." Cian snorted. "She's mine, and I won't return without her."

"Find another girl that doesn't run so fast... or fly... or know how to karate kick you off a horse and shoot arrows at you until you fall off your horse." complained another.

"That's why you've been having problems. You're treating her like a normal human." chuckled a voice above them.

When they looked up they saw Ghirahim sitting on a rock with a look of amusement. He lounged back and licked his lips as he made eye contact with Cian. He then slid down and sauntered over to Cian. He circled Cian slowly as he began to size him up for what he's worth.

"Who are you?" Cian grunted.

"I'm the Demon Lord Ghirahim. I was sent by my master to collect Linka, so I'm afraid I can't let you take her home. She doesn't belong to you." he purred.

"She's mine-" Cian barked.

"I've come to make an offer. Just hear me out, we can help each other." Ghirahim stated as he placed a finger over Cian's lips to silence him. "As much as my master detests it, he wills me to have him reborn as a human. He had ordered me to find someone to couple with Linka so he will be reborn into her prestigious lineage. My master says consent isn't mandatory, as a matter-of-fact he prefers it to not be at all; he holds a grudge against an ancestor of hers. It's _very_ personal." he grinned.

"What's that got to do with me?" Cian dismissed.

"I will give you the proper training to catch the Little Knight. Then when you catch her you can do what you like to her, but you give her back to me once you've had your fun." said Ghirahim.

"I dunno," shrugged Cian.

"You've gotten your vengeance on Malon and now fight to reclaim the woman you stole from him; you can take my offer, or you can stay out of my way. I've learned from my mistakes and won't underestimate her as I did her ancestor. I will not take her lightly and intend to do a thorough job this time around. Whenever i think about how that man who stopped me from bringing back my master I feel a great sensation for blood lust." Ghirahim began to shake with rage before withdrawing his sword and pointing his blade at Cian's throat. "I only ask you because I know you haunt her nightmares, but I can easily replace you. Now, what do you say? Join me in capturing her so you may rape her all you like and give her to me when she's pregnant, or get out of the way? I won't tolerate competition." he offered, Cian said nothing for a moment.

"I'll do it." Cian nodded.

"Very well, You're training starts in the morning. Rest well, tomorrow is going to be rough." Ghirahim purred sadistically.


	7. Into the belly of the beast

Linka felt cozy and snuggled closer to the warmth of where she was sleeping. She could hear two people talking, but felt too drowsy to care. She suddenly felt herself being moved up and adjusted around, that's when she opened her eyes. She saw that she was being given a piggyback ride by Sheik and could hear Taavi close by. She decided to close her eyes again and just eavesdrop on the two. These two knew more about what was going on and would perhaps talk about something they otherwise would never tell her.

"Why would Princess Zelda agree to that? Would she really let them?" asked Taavi.

"She doesn't want to, but if it's what's best for the kingdom she said it's a small sacrifice to pay. I'm sure she has a trick up her sleeve though." Sheik shrugged.

"Will Linka have to gather materials again for the next tunic? It was awful for her going through an active volcano, but she can't breathe under water." asked Taavi.

"Yes, but I have something that will help her being able to breathe and see. And as explained before, Zelda has already made a negotiation for her to get the proper equipment for this time around." said Sheik.

"Oh! Linka's up." said Taavi as he buzzed around Linka's face.

"How long have I been out?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"A few hours, we're almost to the Zora Domain." said Sheik as he put Linka down.

"This place looks nothing like Lake Hylia." said Linka.

"It isn't, but it has a secret entrance for messangers of the royal family. Please put this on; it's for security reasons." said Sheik as he handed her a blindfold. "My intentions are pure, I promise." he said as Linka gave him a suspicious look.

After she put on the blindfold Sheik held her hand and led her to where they needed to go. She could hear the river and the waterfalls around them, and the occasional frog. The area was completely unfamiliar to her, but to focus on the sounds around her was vital in case she should have to go through the area later on her own. Most of all, she wanted to distract herself from the fact she was holding his hand. She attempted to remain as straight faced as possible, but could feel Taavi silently judging her. After a climb up a long hill she could hear a roaring waterfall close by, so much so they were getting sprayed with water. Sheik let go of her to play the lullaby that Bongo taught her and felt something happen with the water. She felt Sheik pick her up.

"Hang on, don't move the blindfold." he said before he jumped into something that got both of them wet. The sound of a large stone moving raked across her ears before stopping. "You can take your blindfold off now." he said.

"Is this the Zora Domain?" asked Linka as she attempted to ring the water out of her hair and clothes.

"Yes, before we move forward we'll have to clean up." said Sheik. "We must properly present ourselves to her Majesty, Queen Ralisia. You don't have to say anything, just let me do the talking. The queen is very ambitious and can be very convincing. I know how to talk to her." said Sheik.

"So, she's a bitch who doesn't take "no" for an answer?" mumbled Taavi.

"Sheik of the Sheikah Tribe, I am here with Linka of Faron Woods. We are here for an audience with her majesty, Queen Ralisia, to discuss the current affair." said Sheik as he bowed and ignored Taavi as a Zora approached.

"Very well, come with me." said the Zora and they followed him to the throne room. He announced their titles and Linka followed Sheik as he walked towards the throne.

Sheik stopped a certain distance from the throne and then dropped to one knee. Linka awkwardly followed his lead and bowed her head. She knew nothing about how to behave in the presence of royalty and decided to keep her eyes focused on the steps just below the throne. She wasn't afraid of making enemies, but figured that making enemies with royalty was only going to make everything harder for her than it already was.

"Rise Sheik, tell me more about the young lady with you." said the Queen with a smile. "Rise young lady, no need to be frightened." she laughed lightly. Linka stood up suddenly and nervously tried to act as normal as she could, but she only looked more awkward.

"This is Linka of Faron Woods, she is the rebirth of the Hero's Spirit. She is here to assist with the current crisis at hand." Sheik gestured to Linka. "I assure you, she will be able to kill the parasite that causes Lord JabuJabu distress. Afterwards she will go forth to the temple and eliminate the monster that has taken residence."

"I figured as much. Linka, come here." said the Queen as she signaled to Linka to come closer.

Linka slowly walked towards the queen and looked up high enough to see her face, but avoided eye contact. She stopped halfway to the Queen and began to fidget. There was something about Ralisia made Linka feel uneasy and it had nothing to do with her status.

"Closer," said the queen impatiently. When Linka didn't move Sheik gently began to push her forward; Linka nearly fell on the Queen, but regained her composure in time. "There now, let me have a look at you." she said as she caressed Linka's face.

Queen Ralisia began to circle her and occasionally pinched certain parts of her body to determine her body fat and muscle. She looked Linka over the same way farmers would look at a horse before making a purchase. The queen even went to far as to tell Linka to open her mouth so she could see her teeth. It felt strange and a very degrading to be inspected like this. Her hat was also removed and the queen began to inspect her hair and then inspected her ears while pulling them. Linka gasped in surprise when Ralisia grabbed her hips and began to feel around her lower abdomen; she blushed with embarrassment. She had always thought she would have punched anyone who did this to her, instead she stood there struggling to absorb what was happening.

"Very healthy, good teeth, birthing hips; this pleases me. You may now stand with Sheik." said the queen with a dismissive wave; Linka slowly walked back to Sheik in a daze with her face still flushed with embarrassment. "She is as I was told. As Princess Zelda and I agreed, I will give you the Zora Fan Blades. They will not only protect you, but they will also help you swim faster." said Ralisia as another Zora presented the fans to Linka on a pillow. "Now go, we have no time to waste."

"I have a personal request, your majesty." said Sheik with a deep bow.

"And what would that be?" Ralisia asked suspiciously.

"I humbly request permission to assist Linka on this assignment. She is unfamiliar with underwater combat, and as a Hylian myself I can assist her." said Sheik; the queen remained silent for a long moment.

"Permission granted." answered Ralisia; he raised a hand to calm the Zoras who wanted to protest. "But only to help her hunt for the material needed for the tunic she will need in order to safely start the mission. Afterwards she must go on her own." stated the Queen; Sheik nodded in response.

Linka and Sheik followed a Zora down a hallway; he stopped and turned to Linka with a blindfold as they headed for where they had entered. She heard the entrance opening and was placed in a boat that flowed down the river for a period of time. Sheik eventually removed her blindfold as they reached Lake Hylia.

"There's a scientist that does work around here and gave me two mouth pieces for us to breathe underwater. These use magic, so we can't stay under for too long. We should go to his lab, he said he had some gear to lend us something he developed so we can see underwater." said Sheik.

The lab was as cool as it was scary. Linka was intrigued with the strange animals in jars. The place was filled with strange odors and weird instruments lined the walls. The scientist looked very young for someone with so much respect in his field.

"Hi there, I'm the leading scientist of Lake Hylia. And, uh..." the scientist stumbled before walking away embarrassed.

"Someone is clearly not used to talking to girls." said Taavi.

"Okay, now we'll just need to get some-" Sheik began before noticing Linka was staring off into nothing. "You okay?" he asked softly.

"Hm? I'm fine, I'm fine. Just thinking about... stuff." answered Linka, Sheik nodded to show understanding.

"Linka? Can we talk?" asked Taavi as he gestured to the exit.

"Sure," Linka sighed; once out of hearing range Taavi stopped.

"Is everything okay? You wanna talk?" asked Taavi as he sat on her shoulder. "Is it about what the Queen did?"

"It was bad enough to see _him_ again, but then I get inspected like a piece of meat. It was embarrassing and I had to stand there and just take it." said Linka angrily. "I'm offering to do them a favor, but get treated like a horse for show. I've killed a damn dragon, giant spiders, and fought off a demon lord; can't any of them respect me? I'm _really_ getting fed up with these people. Demise knew what he was doing when he placed this curse, they really are tearing me apart for something stupid." said Linka.

"Linka, I know this is hard for you and I'm not going to downplay how embarrassing it was for Ralisia to do what she did. But it's a burden you're going to have to bear for now." said Taavi sympathetically.

"Did the heroes before me deal with this? Did they have people doing stuff like this to them?" she asked quietly.

"Not entirely, but they did have people really pushing their daughters onto them in hopes of having a connection to the Hero. As for what you've been through, I'd say no." said Taavi.

"I'm just getting tired of it; I never asked for any of this." Linka whispered.

"No one does, everyone dreams of being a hero but few actually strive for it." said Taavi.

"Like Malon, he always like escorting me around and said he was ready to protect me at a moment's notice. Then when I need him, he's not there." Linka laughed bitterly. "I don't know why I even bother to help anyone here in Hyrule; I'm just tits 'n ass to them no matter what I do. Give me a reason why I shouldn't just leave Hyrule and have these assholes fend for themselves." Linka groaned.

"Because Demise will rise again and hunt you down. If he were to take over Hyrule he would be able to expand his reign over kingdoms far from here and he would find you anyway. By helping the tribes you have some hope of keeping him sealed and a greater chance to live as normal a life as possible later." said Taavi.

"Fair enough, but once I'm done with Demise I'm going somewhere far from any palaces so I don't have to deal with anymore royalty." sighed Linka as she thought about asking Taavi about what he and Sheik were talking about earlier when they thought she was sleeping. She decided against it since she hoped they would discuss more about it later.

"There's been a question on my mind..." Taavi said nervously. "With Bongo bringing up stuff about us being together. Would a guy like me have a chance to get with a woman like you?"

"You'd need to grow about 6 ft for that." Linka laughed.

"You got a problem with short guys?" Taavi asked in mock rage.

"Not really, I'm just not into guys small enough to fit into my vag." Linka teased. "Come on, we should head back to the lab and get ready to go."

They entered the lab and the scientist approached Linka with a box. He really wanted to look her in the eye, but was very intimidated by talking to women. He opened the box and presented it to her as his eyes darted from Linka to the floor. When she looked inside the box she noticed an item inside and held it up. It had a handle on one end and what looked like a steel arrow head on the other.

"What is it?" Linka asked.

"It's a hookshot, made it myself." the scientist said with a blush. "It should help you navigate the temple and climb to high ledges you otherwise couldn't reach. I'm sure it will help you on your journey."

"Thank you." Linka said sweetly, the scientist nearly melted.

"I also made these for you... and him." the scientist said as he made a gesture to where she assumed Sheik was. "These contacts should help you see underwater, they act like the third eyelid the Zora have to protect their eyes underwater."

"We need to get going. Are you ready to go?" asked Sheik as he stepped out of a room wearing a swimsuit, but still wore something to cover his face. "Once we're geared up, I know a short cut to where Lord JabuJabu is located."

"You looking to impress someone Sheik?" asked Taavi. Sheik's swimsuit wasn't inappropriate, but it did hug his form.

"This suit allows me to swim faster by eliminating drag and-"

"Show off your package, got it." Taavi snickered, Sheik seemed to suddenly became very self-concious.

"Don't listen to him Sheik, you look fine." Linka said with a slight blush as she made an effort to not look.

"Come on Linka! The guy looks like he's smuggling a ferret in there!" said Taavi indignantly. "I don't even swing that way and _I_ can't stop staring!"

"Leave him alone Taavi." she said as she really tried to avoid seeing what Taavi was talking about.

"Look at him!" said Taavi. "To reduce drag my ass! This guy's looking to enter the bloodline! Look out Linka!" Taavi laughed.

"Taavi!" Linka warned as she blushed a deeper shade of red as she snuck a peek.

"You just looked!" Taavi began to laugh harder. "Be honest! Doesn't it look like he's smuggling a ferret in there?"

"Let's... let's get going." said Sheik as he handed Linka the mouth piece she needed as the two avoided eye contact.

"Yeah, let's go before Taavi makes this more awkward." said Linka as she secretly snuck another peak at him.

"Linka... I _saw_ that." Taavi teased. He snickered as she looked away.

Sheik and Linka went out to the lake and tested out their mouth pieces. Linka's biggest problem was remembering she could breathe underwater with it, but soon got used to it. Sheik gave her a quick tutorial on underwater combat and it wasn't too long until she was holding her own against him. She wielded the fan blades as though she'd been using them her whole life. She also began to use them to zip through the water fast enough she was able to leap from the water like a dolphin.

"Let's get going. Follow me," said Sheik as he gestured to a large bubble underneath them. After entering the bubble Sheik popped it from within, but they seemed to have gone no where. "Follow me."

When they reached the surface Linka realized they were in an entirely different place. The area seemed empty accept for an orante docking area and a cave in the distance. Something about the area felt unsettling. Sheik looked like he was preparing for battle and just bracing himself for what was coming. Linka was about to ask where they sould go until they were suddenly swallowed by a large creature from beneath. She panicked and screamed in terror. They were squeezed through the esophogus as they went down to the stomach. She struggled to breathe and wondered if this was how she would die. Soon they fell they fell into the stomach and that brought little relief. As the digestive juices began to burn her skin.

"Get out your hookshot and get to that ledge." said Sheik as he pulled out his own and shot out of the juices with Linka close behind.

"Did you get a list of what we need to find, other than the parasite?" asked Linka.

"Yes, they gave me these special pins that will immediately transport the supplies to them so they can get your tunic finished." said Sheik as he handed her the pins. "Just push it through the material and the Zoras will get it done." he said as he handed her the list.

"Let's see what we need. 20 Stingers, 15 octorocks, 6 bari, and 3 biri. Okay, let's get this over with." Linka said as she rubbed her hands together. "How are we suppose to get out of here?" she asked, Sheik's silence made her pause for a moment as a look of horror went over her. "Okay, moving on."

"Wait! Are you saying we're gonna get pooped out!" shouted Taavi.

"How else were we going to leave without killing JabuJabu?" asked Sheik.

"I dunno, magic!" shouted Taavi indignantly. "I'd say this had better get left out of the history books, but we're not even going to be in them to begin with!"

"It doesn't matter, I was planning to take a _long_ bath after this anyway." said Linka. "Let's go this way."

They walked for a few minutes before the ran into a school of stingers. Sheik and Linka defeated them with ease. She put the pins in the 20 they killed and away they went to the Zoras. After the stingers were sent away Linka looked around the area to see if they was a way to open the door covered in mucus. Taavi zipped around as he tried to help with getting out; Sheik stood quietly and looked around the room.

"Are you as concerned as I am about the condition of his digestive track?" asked Sheik.

"Am I concerned about this digestive track? Yes, largely because he's _trying_ to digest me." said snorted Linka. "Why do you ask?"

"Because there are a lot of nodule-like things around the area and that's not normal." said Sheik.

"Sheik, how many times have you been eaten by a whale? Because it's not normal to even say once." said Taavi.

"I can't disclose my source, but I can tell you that this is something to be concerned about. Linka, try hitting that large one above us with an arrow." said Sheik.

Linka took aim and fired away. The nodule and it burst with a disgusting splat and the whale roared with pain. The place began to shake as JabuJabu contracted in pain and thrashed about. Soon the place became still and the only sound they could hear was similar to that of the loud groan a ship makes before everything falls apart. Then all went silent and eerily still. They could hear something coming from a distance.

"I didn't like the sound of that." said Taavi quietly as the tension began to build.

"I think we're going to need our mouth pieces" said Linka as she popped hers into her mouth.

The distant sound came closer and closer until they could hear what sound like a rushing wave of liquid. Soon the area was flooded with what was either bile or some other nasty fluid. Taavi dove under Linka's hat just before she went under. The liquid stung her skin so she kept her eyes tightly shut just in case it would digest them. She flailed her arms around to feel for Sheik, but felt nothing. The wave took her to no one knew where and felt herself being dragged frantically in different directions as she traveled through JabuJabu's digestive track.

After a terrifying journey through wherever she went the current slowed and she found herself washed ashore of another area; Sheik was no where to be seen. Taavi came out from under her hat slowly to investigate. They found all of the baris and biris needed for her tunic, and a few octoroks as well. They found more nodules but were hesitant to do anything to them since the vomit wave separated them from Sheik. They headed down another corridor and found an empty space; something didn't feel right.

"Something's in here. I can feel it." said Taavi.

"Me too, just stick close and we'll figure it out." said Linka.

Everything became eerily still and the feeling of being watched became very intense. Soon a giant octorok dropped from the ceiling and attacked. It was more of a jumpscare than actually scary to Linka. She defeated it quickly and put a few magic pins into it and smiled at her handiwork. She now had all of the supplies needed for the Zora tunic. As the giant octorok vanished she whistled as she continued on her way, but screamed in terror when she was suddenly grabbed by a tentacle and dragged into another tunnel through the ground.

Linka as dragged through tunnels that barely fit her and at times struggled to breathe from the tight fit. There were times she debated whether or not to struggle against whatever had her just in case it leaved her stranded in the middle of something she can escape, but once she was in an open space she twisted to slash herself free. When she landed she got a better look at what grabbed her and it made her eye twitch in anger.

"A tentacle monster, _why_ did it _have_ to be a tentacle monster!" growled Linka as Taavi began to laugh.

"Wow, what did you do to piss of the goddesses?" Taavi laughed, but stopped when he noticed Linka had disappeared. "Uh, Linka? Where did you-" he began before fleeing the monster.

Linka elsewhere:

"No no no no no no no no, fuck no!" she said while fleeing the scene. Something about the monster seemed wrong and she wanted out.

She ran into a dead end and the monster was close behind. She turned with a scowl and prepared to fight. She swiped the fans in the directions of its limbs and it would create air blades to slash through its gelatinous skin. Eventually the parasite seemed to be on its last bit of strength and Linka began to charge in for the kill.

"Watch out! Get away from it!" shouted Taavi.

"No! I've almost got him!" shouted Linka.

"No! Seriously get out of there!" yelled Taavi just before a tentacle grabbed Linka and the room began to rapidly fill with water.

Linka tried to put in her mouth piece, but the tentacles were wrapped around her arms too tightly for her to do so. Soon her head was completely submerged and she struggled to breathe. She managed to grab one of the fans and sliced through the tentacle. She managed to get the mouth piece in before she blacked out.

"Linka! You need to kill it from the inside!" shouted Taavi. Upon Linka's shocked look he explained further: "you can enter through its mouth thing in what looks like its belly!"

Linka did that and began to slash furiously. Eventually she was able to tear the parasite apart from the inside out. Even after cutting herself free, Linka continued to slice the parasite apart to find the Zora Sapphire. She was completely covered in goo, but figured that she was already in so many horrible fluids that a little more goo wouldn't matter. She soon found the stone and it went on to become a part of her gauntlet.

"Well then, I guess it's time for us to get crapped out." said Taavi with sarcastic enthusiasm.

"I have a plan!" Linka announced as she pulled out one of the pins used to transport the raw materials needed for the tunic and put one into her tunic.

The two waited, but nothing happened. Linka began to become more desperate as she tried to think of another way to escape that didn't involve Lord JabuJabu's butt. She then grabbed another pin and pierced it through her ear and another into her other ear to be safe. She was soon transported out and into a foul smelling room filled with the corpses of the creatures she killed for the tunic. The Zoras present gave her a strange look and she looked at them awkwardly. She slowly got up and walked towards the door as she pulled the pins out of her ears. She walked down a hallway and was approached by a Zora.

"It's so good to see you're well. I understand you will likely want a bath after being nearly digested." stated the Zora. "In case you're wondering, Sheik has returned safely."

"May I see him?" asked Linka.

"I'm afraid not. He's currently in the medical wing receiving treatment." answered the Zora.

Linka just nodded in response and followed him. She felt disgusting and disgusted. She still felt angry about how the Queen treated her and wanted to get away from the Zora as soon as she could. She began to think about life on the edge of Hyrule's borders and how good it would be to not have to worry so much about others trying to impose their will onto her. Once he led to the bathing area he left her alone to clean up.

The clean water on her skin felt refreshing. She watched as the goo, grime, and blood was washed away. She looked down at herself and noticed she had accumulated more scars from her adventure in getting eaten. She found some scars and lots of bruising from the tentacles had grabbed her. In some cases, it seemed, the tentacle suction cups tore her skin when she escaped their grasp, but she was too hopped up on adrenaline to notice.

She never wanted to admit it, but she hated looking at herself naked. Ever since she had to flee Faron she hated to undress, even if only to change. She felt that her clothes were a kind of armor and to remove them would make her vulnerable. She kept reminding herself that she had to continue updating her armor and not let her fear take over. She reminded herself that if she gave in, Cian would win. She reminded herself that life goes on and to not let the past dictate her life.

"You need to stop rubbing so hard. You'll make yourself bleed." said Taavi which startled Linka.

"What are you doing here! This is the women's bath!" said Linka as she threw a bottle at him.

"I wanted to make sure you don't rub your skin raw. You do it on occasion and with recent events I wanted to make sure you didn't do it." said Taavi sadly. "You're not dirty and you need to stop hurting yourself like that."

Linka didn't respond. She remained quiet, but did grumble on occasion about Taavi being a male in the women's bath. Taavi blissfully pretended to not hear her as he zipped about.

"So, are we headed to the water temple next?" he asked.

"Yeppers! What comes after this?" she asked.

"After this we should be heading towards the woods on the foot of Death Mountain. Sheik will have to take us there since only the Sheikah know the way through." he said nervously. "I don't know about you, but those people scare me."

"They're not scary, just overly secretive and so stealthy it's hard to notice them sneaking up on you." Linka attempted to defend them, but knew it was a losing battle.

"You nervous about going into the temple?" he asked.

"No, we're going to be swimming around in it. How difficult can the Water Temple be?" Linka shrugged as she smirked.

A/N: Hey everyone! Mean Cucco here to say thanks for reading. Sorry for not updating for so long. I just recently started a new job and have had some writters block. I'll update when I can and am almost done with the next chapter of The Crossroads.


	8. The Temple of Reflection

"I think you have to hit this switch here." said Taavi with uncertainty.

Linka used the hookshot to hit the switch and the water level rose. She gleefully dove down to a level she hadn't been able to reach. There was a wall that was damaged enough to show it had a hidden room behind it, but still strong enough she needed a bomb to get in. As she began to reach for a bomb she remembered that she was underwater and threw a mini tantrum before returning to the surface.

"What happened? I didn't hear a boom?" groaned Taavi.

"We can't detonate our bombs underwater." growled Linka as she laid on her back and floated in defeat.

"Then how else do we move forward?" whined Taavi.

"Fuck it! I'm gonna punch that wall!" shouted Linka indignantly before diving down again.

She swam to the damaged wall and began to punch furiously. She didn't have anything the weigh her down so she could stand in front of the wall. Her rage was so great that she was willing to deal with the annoyance of needing to swim to keep in place. The wall would crack after each blow, but she struggled to break the wall apart. Her knuckles began to bleed as she continued to punch with all her might. The wall began to crumble, from then on she began to beat the wall furiously. As the wall officially gave way she did a little victory dance underwater. She turned to suddenly find Taavi in a bubble behind her and screamed in surprise.

"How are you doing that?" she asked as she bent over to open a chest in the room and act cool.

"Cause I'm awesome, moving on." Taavi said as he went past her while doing a parody of her victory dance, but stopped when she began to shake in anger. "What?"

"I just got some water bombs." Linka snarled.

"How very considerate of the ancient Zora to place those ancient bombs there. I wonder if they'll work." Taavi wondered outloud.

"Oh well, at least I know I can punch out walls if we run out." said Linka as she began to swim down the new corridor.

Eventually they found another large room with another diamond shape switch. Linka hit the switch and the water was drained from the room; the sound of a gate opening underwater could be heard as it screeched open. Linka dove down and through the gate with caution. With a few slashes of her fans, she killed the enemies in the area. She found a deteriorating wall and punch it down. Behind it she found a creepy carving of a tree and an ornate chest with a decorated key inside. After grabbing it she left the room not realizing the dark fog that began to creep from the carving.

"Now we just have to hookshot our way up and, hopefully, get the hell out!" said Linka as she pulled herself. "If we've found this key we should be close."

"Keep on your toes, this temple is also known as the _The Temple of Reflection_." said Taavi. "In here you will have to face your greatest fear. Be prepared for anything." said Taavi nervously. "It's both real and an illusion. It's a matter of getting through it."

"Oh boy," sighed Linka as she continued to climb. "How will I know when I get to that part?" she asked as she pulled herself up.

"Asked when you get to what part?" said a familiar voice as he lightly gripped her arm. When Linka looked up she saw Malon helping her up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, too shocked to feel angry.

"I went looking for you the moment I heard you were spotted in Kakoriko Village. Are you okay?" he asked with a sad smile.

"I'm fine, but how did you get here? I needed a Zora-" she began, she felt excited to see someone from home.

"I'm not really sure myself, but I do know that we need to get out of here. Follow me, I'll show you where I got in from." Malon said. "Who were you talking to earlier?"

"Just a friend of mine named Taavi; he's like a fairy version of Groosina. Where did he go?" she asked with a nervous laugh before the bitter feeling returned.

"So?" Malon said nervously. "How have things been?"

"Good," Linka responded in a flat tone.

"Groosina's asked about you, when are you coming back home?" he asked sheepishly and was answered with cold silence. "... Linka, I-" he started.

"I can't go back-" she growled as she sharply turned to him to find herself alone. She stopped for a moment and wondered if Malon being there was just an illusion brought on by the temple. "Taavi? Taavi?" she called out as she attempted to not be too loud so as to avoid the monsters that could be hiding in the area.

She traveled through the labyrinth that was the water temple. She encountered a few monsters, but there was no sign of Taavi, Malon, or anyone. She entered a large room with a strange lone tree. She saw a person in the distance, she stopped where she was and watched the person for a minute to see what they were doing. The person just stood under the tree and remained still.

"Hello?" Linka called out, she sounded more nervous than she wanted to. The dark figure under the tree didn't move. "Who are you?" Linka shouted as she approached while drawing her sword.

The figure began to walk towards her with their sword drawn. As Linka got closer to the other person she noticed the figure was a woman who looked familiar. As she got closer she found herself face-to-face with herself.

"I'm you." the figure said with a sneer.

"Me against myself, how cliche?" Linka smirked as she crouched. "And here I was, worried about facing a real monster." she said with a cocky tone.

"A monster? Oh please, I have to face a coward." scoffed her twin as she charged.

The two clashed swords and remained evenly matched. Linka began to see why this was such a common trial in the stories of the hero, who would be more challenging to battle than yourself? They used the same strategies and knew how to protect their weak-spots. She noticed her shadow twin wasn't getting tired like she was, so she decided it was time to get psychological.

"How does it feel to just be a copy? Even I lose to you, you'll never be anything?" said Linka. She knew it was an overused line to an extent, but it was the first thing to pop into her mind.

"I take on whoever comes in here; you're nothing but fresh meat to me. Besides, even if you win, where would you go?" her shadow chuckled. "You can never go home again and you dream of living in isolation all because of a guy. How pathetic are you to go mope in isolation just because a man rejected you?"

"Shut up!" yelled Linka. "I'm sick of everyone's crap-"

"You didn't get the life you dreamed of and now think you're going to make a point by not moving on; I guess Cian won!" the shadow cackled. "He said he wanted to keep you all to himself and you respond by pushing everyone away; his plan worked!"

The fighting intensified as the fight became more personal. Linka managed to get the lucky hit she needed and was able to beat down her shadow from there. Linka as about to start gloating until she noticed her shadow took a new shape. This time her shadow didn't look like an evil version of herself; it now looked exactly like her, except that it was very pregnant. Dark Linka also was shackled and writhing in agony.

"Someone help me! Please don't let him hurt me!" her shadow gasped in pain.

"That's enough! I escaped him!" Linka said with suspicion and fear as she began to back away from Dark Linka.

"You haven't escaped yet. You're just running into another trap. You don't know _him_." said Dark Linka before she began to fade into nothing.

Linka stared dumbly where Dark Linka had been. The sight frightened her more than anything else she'd seen since leaving home. She walked away after a moment and continued down a hall, but began to sprint once she heard Taavi's voice.

"You won't take me down! You hear me? You'll never seal me away!" Taavi yelled angrily as he zipped around and looked as intimidating as a tiny 3 in. tall glowing man can be.

"Taavi," said Linka.

"Stop! I'm not going to fall this time! I followed the rules, I-"

"Taavi!" Linka shouted this time.

Taavi came to and gasped from exhaustion for a moment before going to sit on Linka's shoulder. He leaned on her neck .

"Wanna talk about it?" asked Linka.

"Nope, wanna talk about what you saw?" Taavi asked.

"Rather not," Linka sighed.

"Fair enough," said Taavi as he drooped on her shoulder.

The two walked in silence for a moment and said nothing. They silently acknowledged that they had been dragged through their own personal hell and would talk about it later. They soon came to the entrance of an underwater cave and could see no light. Linka dove in for a short distance before returning due to the lack of vision.

"I can light the way for you, but I'll need you to lend me your magic." said Taavi. "You'll need to hold out your left hand and allow me to draw out magic from your Triforce birthmark. I'll use up very little, but it'll still sap your strength if overused. May I?" he asked.

"You may," said Linka as she held out her hand.

Taavi touched his hand to her birthmark and began to glow brightly. A bubble formed around him and he gestured for Linka to follow him as he dove into the depths of the cave. With Taavi leading the way the cave became as bright as day. The tunnels were eerily still as they ventured through. They came to a larger room and decided to explore. They found more underwater bombs and healing potion.

"I think we've gotten everything in here." said Linka.

"No, there's something else in here. I can feel it, but it keeps moving and is hard to pin down where it is exactly because it keeps moving." said Taavi.

"That's ominous," groaned Linka. "Let's find it and get out of here. Sooner we're done, the sooner we don't have to deal with the Zora."

"Look!" shouted Taavi with excitement as the Zora Sapphire began to glow.

The two began to swim towards it as quickly as they could. Linka stopped after a moment; her intuition told her something was wrong. Something about the way the stone floated in the water gave her reason to pause.

"Taavi, stop!" shouted Linka as she froze in place.

"But Linka! The stone is-" Taavi began before he froze in place.

All was quiet for a moment until they heard a deep growl. The stone began to glow bright enough that they could slightly see the face of a large fish. With an ear-splitting roar the creature began to illuminate brightly with its grotesque majesty to reveal itself; the largest angler Linka had ever seen. It soon vanished back into the darkness as fast as it had appeared and Taavi raced back to Linka.

"Watch out! It's an angler!" screamed Taavi.

"No shit!" said Linka in an equally freaked out tone as the two began to look around for where the angler could be.

Linka could hear some movement coming from her left side and Taavi moved to light the way. They saw the angler charging for them and dodged before it could eat them. Linka stabbed her sword into it and managed to cut open a large wound. The angler howled in pain and managed to bite down onto Linka with a quick snap of its jaws. The only thing that kept her from being swallowed was that her foot got caught in its teeth. She sheathed her sword and lit two bombs before throwing them down the angler's throat. She then grabbed her hookshot and aimed for the roof of the angler's mouth. The angler's movement suggested that it knew something was wrong. Then the bombs went off and the jaws went limp and she was able to escape.

She swam calmly to the stone and used her sword to sever it from the angler's head. The stone glowed brightly before joining the other two stones on her gauntlets. Linka stayed in place for a moment until she face palmed.

"What?" asked Taavi.

"I just remembered, when in JabuJabu's stomach, I could've just used the Dekustone to leave rather than use those hooks." she sighed.

"At least he didn't poop you out, now activate that stone and let's get out of here." said Taavi cheerfully.

Linka activated the Deku stone and the two were transported out. Once taken to the entrance of the temple they saw a Zora there waiting for them. He looked as though he'd been there a while and not pleased.

"Took you long enough, do you have the stone?" he asked, Linka showed him her gauntlets. "Very good, now go wash up before you meet with the queen." he said with a dismissive wave.

Linka washed up and met with Queen Ralisia. The queen power walked to Linka and grabbed her wrists to inspect her gauntlets. She squealed with joy when she saw the Zora Saphire and dragged Linka towards the throne.

"Ladies and gentlemen of my court. Linka of Faron Woods has successfully defeated the monster that took residence in our temple. We may now go safely to feed our kingdom and continue trade." she announced as the court cheered. "Now Linka, go with the ladies here so we can prepare you for your wedding to Lord Glacial; he is our finest warrior and-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Who said anything about getting married? I certainly didn't agree to this!" said Linka with a mix of panic and anger.

"Now dear, you're consent isn't mandatory. For too long the Hylians have been in possession of all three pieces of the Triforce. If we are to protect ourselves we'll need at least one piece." the queen said in a dark tone. "The negotiation made between me and Princess Zelda states that if I can convince you to stay, then I may do to you as I please." she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"I choose to leave, see ya!" Linka said with a mock salute and began to walk for the door.

"I knew you'd say that." the queen laughed before clapping her hands twice. "How about we make an exchange?" she purred as Sheik was brought forth in chains by armed guards.

"Let him go!" demanded Linka.

"How about a trade? You stay, and we let him go." the queen said with a smirk that made Linka want to punch her.

"Don't give in Linka," said Sheik sternly. "Forget about me, run!" he wheezed as one of the guards tightened the ropes around his neck.

"What are you planning to do with him?" Linka demanded.

"Kill him, we have no use for him. Should you choose to stay with us and produce an heir to the Triforce of Courage within the Zora tribe, we'll let him go free to continue slithering in the shadows like a normal Sheikah." the queen grinned.

"May I offer a deal, your Majesty?" asked a large Zora with an equally large spear.

"What kind of offer, Lord Glacial?" the queen asked with a grin.

"I wish to challenge her to a dual. If I win we will be wed by tonight. If she wins, then I am unworthy to father children with the Goddesses' chosen knight." he said with a bow.

"Do you agree to these terms?" the queen asked Linka.

"If I win, can Sheik and I go?" Linka asked, the queen only smirked. "Very well, bring it on blue boy!" she said as she pulled out her sword.

The two sized each other up and remained motionless for a moment until Taavi sneezed and the fight was on. The two exchanged blows and Linka was unable to get a hit in. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye and managed to move out of the way in time before another Zora could hit her.

"What the Subrosia?" she growled.

"There's nothing in the agreement that says this fight has to be one-on-one." the queen chuckled.

"If that's the case," Linka said as she sheathed her blade. "Then I'll bring in my ally!" she shouted as she whipped out her fans and pushed the guards away from Sheik with gusts of wind. Sheik managed to free himself from the chains and took a spear from a guard and went back-to-back with Linka.

"You know? For a Sheikah you sure get yourself into a lot of trouble." said Linka with a smirk.

"As a Sheikah, I'm suppose to go looking for it. You can't protect Hyrule's royal family without looking for it." Sheik said before punching another Zora.

The two continued to fight together. Linka pulled out her fans and managed to create a whirlwind around them as Sheik threw shurikan into the Zora warriors. Once the Zoras hit the ground the two gave each other a quick glance and silently agreed it was time to run away. Sheik ran ahead of Linka and led them through the winding labyrinth that was the palace. They soon found themselves at the entry to tunnels that led underwater. They dove in without hesitation and sped through the tunnels. Once they made it out to Lake Hylia Sheik continued to swim in the direction of the forest.

"This way, there's secret entry to a Sheikah safe house. Since you have all three stones we'll need to contact the princess to figure out where you'll need to go next. Once we get closer to shore I'll get out and meet you down river. With the tunic and fans you'll swim faster than me. Let's get to shore so I can give further instruction." he said as they swam to the shaded shore where they could hide from the Zora.

"How will I know where to find you if you're not coming with me?" asked Linka.

"Take this bracelet, it will begin to glow when you're close to where we need to meet." said Sheik as he gave Linka the bracelet.

"Uh... Sheik?" said Taavi.

"We'll meet with my master. She'll brief you on where to go next." said Sheik as he ignored Taavi.

"Oh boy, here it comes." sighed Taavi.

"What?" asked Linka, that's when the last fibers keeping Sheik's swimsuit gave way.

There was a awkward moment of silence. Sheik stood motionless in disbelief of what had just happened. Linka stood wide eyed and fighting a fit of the giggles. Taavi could hold back no longer and said what he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Oh to the goddesses above! It's the thing that ate the ferret!" Taavi howled with laughter as he gave a full belly laugh. He struggled to keep himself in the air and had difficulty breathing. His reaction further embarassed Linka as she put her hand over her mouth and Sheik covered himself.

"Taavi! Shut up Taavi!" she said as she tried to suppress the giggles. "Don't laugh, it's rude."

"He did that on purpose! You got another suitor Linka!" Taavi squeaked through a fit of giggles.

"If you're done, we have important business to attend to." said Sheik calmly, he was now wearing his regular clothes. "Linka swim ahead, the bracelet will tell you when you've come to the right spot. Just keep going straight, you can't miss the spot." he said before raising a deku nut above his head.

"Oh boy," groaned Linka before covering her eyes. After Sheik and the deku nut light vanished, Linka and Taavi exchanged looks and continued down river.

At the palace:

"Your Grace, Linka now has all three stones. She is now being taken to the safe house in Faron Woods." said Impa. "Are you sure you don't want us to point her into another direction? I'm certain the Temple of Reflection has reopened some old wounds; we shouldn't push her too far just yet."

"The goddesses have tempered the spirit of the hero to survive whatever the darkness throws at it. The female part of the rebirth cycle is simply the task on expert mode. We need her to go there one last time and see that there is no hope of returning home. It'll will make things easier later if she understands this now." said Zelda in deep thought.

"Shall we proceed with the plan?" asked Impa.

"Proceed," said Zelda apathetically as she engrossed herself into the documents on her desk. "Make sure you direct her to where we need her while I handle the Zoras. Queen Ralisia will surely be _less_ _cooperative_ than usual after her little seahorse got away. I leave tomorrow to pacify the Zora; I'll need you to put an end to the music and set up the cat. I also need a report on the progress of the beast. He's closing in on our harp; we can't have him working with the gardener."

"Very well, My Grace." Impa said with a bow before leaving the princess to her work.

Impa continued on her way down the corridors and out of the palace. She knew she was being followed, but decided to lead her stalker to some place more suited for conversation. Once in a deserted part of Castle Town she stopped and swung a whip out to catch the stalker by the wrist and dragged him into view.

"Bongo, it's rude to follow a lady. Especially so late at night." Impa said coldly.

"Please reconsider. After her quest, just let her go to the country side if she wants. Let her heal on her own, and if she chooses to not have children then the goddesses will have the spirit of the hero reborn into another Hylian bloodline. We have records of other heroes that died shortly after their quests and had no children." Bongo tried to reason.

"That's enough! You know better than I do that her path has been set. You said it yourself, she will go down one of three paths. We just need to nudge her in the right direction; once she's done what she is fated to do only then can we let her rest." said Impa.

"I'm only trying to make her journey as painless as possible." answered Bongo.

All was quiet for a moment; Bongo and Impa never broke eye contact. Bongo felt something pinch his neck and felt the area to find a needle. Soon all went black; several people came out of the shadows to take him away, but looked to Impa for the next command.

"Take him in for questioning. He has answers to many of our questions." said Impa, the others nodded in response and vanished as fast and silently as they appeared.


	9. A Time to Reflect

Linka swam for a long time. She stopped occaisionally to check her bracelet and it still didn't glow. Whenever she reached a fork in the road she would stop and see if the bracelet did anything; it would pull in a certain direction and she would continue going that way. It soon began to glow and she got out of the water. The forest had gotten darker and looked more like it belonged in a ghost story. As Linka looked around all she could see were trees, rocks, and water.

"Now what?" asked Linka as she investigated the area. When she placed her hand against a twisted tree it unravelled and swallowed her whole.

Linka and Taavi sped down the hole. Linka tried to slow their descent by attempting to get a grip on the sides with her boots, but the sides were slick with some nasty slime. They soon landed on a patch of soft grass. Without missing a beat, Linka drew her sword and prepared to fight. They were completely surrounded by shadowy figures wielding knives.

"Hold on everyone, step back. She's with me," said Sheik as he stepped into the light. "Baths are that way," he said with a sigh as he pointed to the direction behind him.

Linka really wanted to get the slime off her. It took a while, but it finally began to wash off. Her face stung for a bit and when she checked her reflection she noticed some cuts on her face that were likely from fighting the Zoras. She looked down at herself and ran her fingers over her scars. It seemed that everytime she turned around she had another scar. She felt as though her legend was being carved into her skin.

She investigated all of her new soon-to-be-scars as she tried to wash them as carefully as she could. Now and then they would bleed, but she felt they would soon be joining her other scars in being a pale reminder of her adventures. The dinalfos bite marks stood out more than most other scars, but the newest additions made her wonder what would come next. She began to dry off and got dressed.

A few days passed as she waited for word on what the princess needed them to do next. Normally she would have liked having a break, but what she saw in the Temple of Reflection still haunted her. She thought about the things that Bongo had told her and wondered if that was her future. He said she would meet a terrible fate no matter what she did, but mentioned that she could go down three paths and one of the ones he mentioned sounded good. He mentioned forgiveness; she just didn't know if that meant returning home or not. When the shadow version of herself said she was going into another trap Linka couldn't tell if she was being honest, or just saying what she just saying something she knew would get under her skin.

"Wanna talk about it?" asked Taavi.

"Not really," sighed Linka as she flopped back onto her bed.

"When I was in the temple I had to relive the moment I got sealed away. I also got to see what was likely to come if I fail my current mission. You're turn," Taavi said with a huff.

"I fought against a shadow version of myself. When I defeated her she... she," Linka couldn't bring herself to finish. "Can the shadows in the temple really foresee the future, or do they just show you what they know will disturb you?"

"They can see your deepest fears, but that doesn't _always_ mean their words come true." said Taavi.

"I saw Malon in there. He said he'd left to find me after after someone told him they saw me in Kakoriko. Why would the temple show an illusion like that? Or later it showed me in a terrible state and said I was going to be trapped." Linka wrapped her arms around herself as she felt her blood turn cold with dread.

"This is why I've led you to this safe-house. That temple's been known to drive people mad. That creature was set loose there to protect the temple's treasure, but it did so much better than expected that the Zora all but abandoned the temple after." said Sheik as he leaned in the doorway. "They used to require their tribesmen to transition into adulthood by facing it, but the monster proved too traumatic and the right of passage for them was abandoned. It's natural to feel the way you do when faced with that creature." he continued as he walked over to her.

"Any word from Her Grace?" asked Linka.

"She is still gathering information; she says to now rest and clear your head." said Sheik. "Remember to train in moderation; Ghirahim took advantage of your weakened state last time."

"At least I won that bet with the Queen." Linka chuckled weakly. "That makes them one less group to deal with."

"She never verbalized an agreement. She's still going to chase after you." Sheik answered in a flat tone. "Even if she had agreed, she would still chase after you. Your well-being means nothing to her, only what she thinks is best for her Kingdom and her power."

"What deal did the princess make with her anyway?" asked Linka.

"The Princess said what she had to in order to get the Queen Ralisia to grant you access to the temple." Sheik avoided the question.

"I'm getting sick of the politics in this." Linka rolled her eyes before walking away.

"It's far from over," Sheik said quietly, not bothering to follow her for now.

Linka went into the training hall to practice with the fans. She would on occasion lose herself in training and only know it once she heard a faint sound of terror as a poor Sheikah was thrown against the wall from the gusts of wind. She started to experiment with the fire magic she gained from the Dragon Ruby. She began to practice hand-to-hand combat as flames engulfed her hands. She burned holes into the punching bags hanging from the ceiling, but the flames felt cool on her skin. She felt someone coming up from behind and attempted to round-kick the individual in the head.

"You're using too much magic." said Sheik as he held her ankle.

"Is that so?" Linka said impishly before twisting out of his grip and attempted to palm thrust him in the chin with her hand still aflame. Sheik did a few back handsprings and twisted himself around like a cat.

"You missed," Sheik said as smugly as a Sheikah gets.

That started a whole new round of sparring. Linka and Sheik were evenly matched for a while, but Sheik could only keep up for so long. Sheik could only take so many flame-fist punches before he could no longer mask the pain he was in. Linka managed to grab a hold of him and throw him across the room. Linka was panting as Sheik slowly stood up. It wasn't until someone went over to help him get steady on his feet did Linka realize they had an audience.

Not all of the Sheikah covered their faces like Sheik, but they all wore stony expressions. Though there was light in the room, it seemed as though they all were perpetually in shadow. Linka watched them with suspicion as some seemed to size her up. She heard the sound of a bottle pop open and a healing fairy use their magic.

"Show's over, back to work." said Impaz, even the Sheikah jumped a little from how she seemed to appear from no where. "I know for a fact that all of you have places to be." she growled; with that everyone seemed to almost fade into the walls.

"Master Impaz," said Sheik as he bowed weakly from the pain.

"That's the most impressive sparring match I've seen in a long time. I'd expect nothing less from the two of you." Impaz smiled slightly at Linka. "Are you hurt badly?" she turned to Sheik.

"I'll heal," he nodded.

"Come, we have much we need to discuss." she said to Sheik as she nodded to the direction behind her. "I advise you you watch your weapons better. It would be a shame if you were to lose the blade needed to reseal Demise." Impaz said as she threw the White Sword back to a dumbstruck Linka. "Take some green potion, you're going to need it from all the magic you've just used." Impaz said with a side glance as she led Sheik away.

"What's she talking about? I feel fine," Linka said as she moved to walk to her room and suddenly felt dizzy. "Shut up Taavi," she said with a narrow glance.

"I didn't say anything. You need me to carry you to bed?" Taavi laughed.

"I can help you back." said Sheik.

"I can walk on my own," said Linka as she began to sway slightly.

"Master, let me take her to bed first. She's still experimenting with her magic abilities." said Sheik, Impaz was silent for a moment.

"Once you've taken care of her, we need to discuss what's happening." said Impaz.

Sheik put Linka's arm over his shoulder and led her back to her room. He handed her a jar of green potion and sat on the chair next to her bed. Linka felt her strength returning to her as she laid back down on her bed. She gazed at the ceiling and thought about how much her life had changed in a matter of a few weeks. She let the sound of Sheik's harp soothe her for the moment She began to hum in rhythm with the music. She sat up and watched Sheik strum his harp as the light dimly lit the room.

"Are you alright?" Sheik asked.

"Hm?" was Linka's only response.

"Linka?" he asked again.

"Hyrule to Linka!" Taavi said loudly in her ear to make her jump slightly.

"Was that really necessary?" Linka grumbled as she rubbed the ear Taavi yelled into.

"Yeah, you spaced out." Taavi snickered.

"I'm fine," Linka sighed before lying down again.

"I'm going to speak with my master now. Rest well." Sheik said quietly as he got up to leave.

Linka stared at the door as he left. She wasn't sure how much time had passed before Taavi started to tug on her ear. She then plopped down on her bed and rolled onto her side to curl into a ball. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

"Linka?" asked Taavi.

"Hmm?"

"Do you still love Malon?" he asked quietly.

"Why do you ask?" asked Linka.

"Just curious," said Taavi.

"I'm not sure anymore. When I saw him in the temple I felt something, but once I remembered what happened I just felt angry. Can I ask you something Taavi? Something I need you to be honest about." Linka asked quietly.

"Fairies can't lie, what do you need?" said Taavi.

"Do you think I'm weak for not wanting to be in another relationship after everything that's happened?" she asked., Taavi was silent for a moment.

"Yes and no. You shouldn't let what Malon did to you bend you out of shape, but from the way Cian, Malon, and the Zora have treated you I see where you're coming from. Don't let them win, if you find someone you like you should go for it." Taavi's voice jingled. "Anyone one in mind?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well, I don't know him very well, but..." she blushed a little.

"Oh my goodness! Really? You like _him_?" said Taavi. "You like Sheik!"

"He's been there for me, he knows what I've been through, he also hasn't blamed me for what happened..." Linka listed. "I don't feel judged when I'm with him."

"He's also a Sheikah." added Taavi with a flat tone.

"True, sometimes I've wondered if he was sent to try to bring the heir into the Sheikah tribe. I'm not sure who I can trust anymore." Linka curled into a tighter ball. "But I can't be afraid forever." She said as she sat up.

"Just be careful. The Sheikah are known for manipulation." said Taavi. "Besides, shouldn't you be worried about making things awkward with the person you're working with?"

"Not really," Linka shrugged before laying down again. "I'm taking a nap, I'll train some more when I'm done." she said before turning away; she wasn't tired, she just didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Linka lost track of the days as she tried to fight the nightmares. The screams of the witches from the Forgotten Sanctuary echoed through her skull as they demanded to know why she killed them. She watched their flesh peel from their bones and turn to ash. As she would back away from their disintegrating corpses she would back into someone else to find either Cian or Ghirahim behind her. She would then run from them to trip and find herself shackled and being dragged back. Linka would look down at herself and find herself pregnant before waking up screaming. Taavi and Sheik would ask if she wanted to talk and each time she refused.

"You should know by now that you can talk to us." said Taavi with frustration. "We're not going to judge you; you should know that by now!"

"I'm fine!" Linka growled to end the conversation. "Let's get out of here so I can get this over with! I'm The Chosen Knight, I'm suppose to carry this burden. Now let's move on!"

"The princess says you need to rest. We've only been here for five days and you don't seem to have improved. Everyone has noticed you training until you can't move. We've talked about this, you can't go on like that. You only become easy-pickings for Ghirahim when you do. To express how dire this has gotten, we know for a fact that he has recruited Cian. He's likely gone to Cian because he wants to break you down psychologically. The goddesses created companions so the hero wouldn't suffer alone; no one should carry the weight of Hyrule alone." said Sheik as he crossed his arms.

"That's rich coming from two people who've been hush-hush about almost everything!" Linka growled.

"I saw myself failing this mission and being sealed again!" Taavi choked. "You wanna hear about how others are suffering! Fine! When in the Temple of Reflection I was forced to relive my failure! I had to face the reality of what's going to happen if I fail! I'll have to live forever being able to see everything happening on the outside, but to trapped without the ability to move or speak. The feeling of helplessness as I watch the centuries pass and be unable to experience it! To see my dream within my grasp and know I will likely not get another chance to obtain it." Taavi shook. "Your turn," he growled.

"Sheik's turn," Linka huffed.

"You've _got_ to be kidding-" Taavi began.

"The reason the Zoras didn't succeed in kidnapping you when you were a child is because the Sheikah assigned to you saved you. He fought the two off and deposited you a short distance from where they grabbed you so everyone would think you just floated down river. If the villagers knew a Sheikah saved you they would have become frightened and that could have caused the other scouts to go into an all out war to grab you." Sheik began; Taavi and Linka dropped their jaws.

"Are you really-?"Taavi tried to continue.

"The Sheikah, Zoras, and Gerudo sent scouts out to Faron to spy on you. Remember the day you were transporting produce to the market to Saria town and narrowly avoided dying in that landslide? Remember the way your horses got spooked and suddenly stopped obeying you?" Sheik waited for Linka to nod. "The Gorons were planning to kill you by crushing you to death, but the Gerudo knocked you off course by spooking your horses from a distance. The Zora then used their magic to wash the landslide in another direction so as to avoid you and try to kill the other scouts. The Gerudo and Zora made an attempt to grab you, but the Sheikah knocked you out of their grasp, then they all fought eachother to the point they forgot to send someone to secure you and when they got back to where they left you, you'd already woken up and got to Saria. My objective that day was to prevent you from being caught by the other tribes." Sheik opened his eyes.

"The Gorons had no interest in getting the Tri-Force of Courage, but they didn't want anyone else to have it either. The other tribes intended to kidnap you during the chaos. Same thing goes for that fire that destroyed Odin and most of Faron when you were 13 years old. One of the scouts started the fire so they could kidnap you in the chaos. That body no one was able to identify was a child from a distant village beyond Death Mountain. That little girl was hand picked by a scout, abducted, and burned alive because she looked enough like you and they wanted to leave a body behind so the villagers would think you died. But you escaped and no one was able to abduct you without compromising their position. Is that information enough?" he finished with a sigh.

Linka and Taavi remained silent for a moment as they absorbed what he just said. Linka would have never guessed in a thousand years that was what happened that day. She began to think about everything that had happened before she fled Faron and wondered what else these scouts had been behind. Her heart sank knowing a little girl had been murdered for no other reason than they looked alike. She felt as though she were about to go mad as the thought of how she's been watched for so long went through her mind.

"That's super creepy, Sheik," said Taavi. "Seriously, were you guys were watching her _all_ the time?" he asked, that made Linka blush.

"I was sent to replace the one that had been watching her because he was... less than professional." Sheik left it at that.

"Oh my goodness," Linka blushed furiously, she began to feel dizzy. "How long have I been watched?"

"Since you were 3 years old." said Sheik. "If it means anything to you, you've never been easy to keep up with."

"I need a moment," Linka said as she walked back to her room; Sheik followed close behind her.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but you've met Queen Ralisia, you know how ruthless she is. We were protecting you, don't take this the wrong way." Sheik said as he gently embraced her from behind. "Everything's going to be alright."

"When I was in the temple I saw Malon; he said he was looking for me and that he wanted me to return home. When he vanished I ran into a dark version of myself, and she called me a coward for wanting to leave Hyrule and never return. After I defeated her she changed shape again; she still looked like me,but she was very pregnant and shackled to the ground. She kept talking about being trapped and that I was being led to something terrible. I'm just sick of it all." Linka said quietly.

"They want power."Sheik said softly. "It's the weak man's source of power, but it's an easy way to get it." Sheik answered as he slowly turned her around to face him and placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's all going to work out, I'll do everything in my power to see to it. You're not alone, don't think there's no one here for you. The other heroes weren't expected to stand alone, and neither are you." he said as he revealed his face to her; he then gently kissed her lips and caressed her face.

They lingered like that for a moment. Linka leaned in and kissed him while wrapping her arms around his waist. Eventually the two sat on the bed before Linka pushed Sheik onto his back gently to lay on top of him.

"Hey! Linka!" Taavi began before Sheik flicked him hard into a window leading into the hall.

The two continued to be intimate with Linka leading the way. She led his hands around her form as she explored his. Afterwards they curled up together under the sheets and Sheik laid there until he knew she was asleep. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest to determine how deeply she was sleeping before getting up. After he closed the door Linka opened her eyes, but made no movement so as to let him believe he successfully snuck out. Once he closed the door she snuggled back into the warmth of the blanket, content in the decision she had made.

He left her alone and closed the door behind him. He fixed his face covering and leaned against the door for a minute. He listened in to hear if she woke up and heard nothing. In a moment like that she could either take it well or feel worse. He felt he had just rolled the dice and there was no going back; now he could only wait to see what he rolled. He stared into the dark hall with the emotionless mask he wore to any meeting with informants.

"Show's over, I'm sure you all have places to be." he said; all that was heard were the pitter-patter of feet shuffling about. "Sometimes I really hate this tribe," he mumbled under his breath before walking away.

He continued on until he found Impaz waiting in the war room. She gestured to him to enter; once he did the door slammed shut behind him and put him in a choke hold.

"You idiot!" she hissed.

"M-m-m-mas-master, I-" he struggled to breathe.

"Please tell me you used protection! It's not going to do us any good if she's out of commission because of you!" Impaz scolded in a quiet growl.

"That's enough, Impaz." said Zelda from behind the desk. "Sheik, I have information of where she'll need to go next. While there are other tasks we have for you, you will still be expected to travel with her. Review this information and meet with us tomorrow at dawn." said Zelda as she threw an envelope to Sheik, with a deep bow he vanished.

"My Grace, I sincerely apologize for his stupidity. Do you think it's wise for him to still be on this case? I'm worried he might, how do I put this?" Impaz said.

"Not to worry. If the Sheikah gain the heir, so be it; that will mean the courage piece stays close to Hyrule, among a tribe that watches its members carefully. Has that bird of your begun to sing?" asked Zelda.

"Not yet, he's a tough one to crack. We'll need more time." said Impaz.

"Very well, do what you must to get the information." said Zelda as she used her magic to burn several documents on the desk.


	10. Why You Can't Go Home

Linka began to snore as she got the most restful sleep she'd had since leaving Faron. She had hoped that Sheik would come back to bed, but if he had she never noticed. She could feel Taavi judging her, but felt too happy to care. She smiled into her pillow as she snuggled deeper into the sheets.

"Well, _that_ just happened." said Taavi with a huff, knowing full well she could hear him.

"I appreciate you giving us some privacy." Linka mumbled with a smile.

"He flicked me out a _fucking_ window into someone's _eye_!" Taavi scolded.

"They're a nosey bunch, _aren't_ they?" Linka sighed. "Lucky me, Sheik has good aim." she giggled.

"Don't you think it's possible he's brought you down here for the soul purpose of _trying_ to get you pregnant? Hasn't it occurred to you that you've brought here with the intent of the Sheikah tribe taking the heir into their bloodline?" Taavi asked angrily.

"Who pissed in your porridge?" Linka huffed groggilly as she pulled the sheets over her head; of course she'd wondered that as well, but the moment felt right and she was not about to let Taavi ruin it for her.

"No one pissed in it. Sheik, more or less, stuffed his dick in it!" Taavi said as he shook with rage. "What were you _thinking_? If you got pregnant right now, do you have _any_ idea how vulnerable you will be to Demise!" he shouted.

"Relax, we used protection." Linka smiled as she stretched.

"I bet he poked holes in it." Taavi snorted.

"Linka, I have received information are where we are needed next." said Sheik and scared Taavi to the point the fairy almost fell out of the air.

"How long have you been sitting there?" gasped Taavi.

"Long enough to hear you accuse me of compromising the protection used. The proof of my innocence is in the trash, go nuts." Sheik said with a dismissive wave as Taavi looked disgusted.

"The information?" Linka asked with excitement in hopes of changing the topic.

"We're going to the Gerudo Badlands. From there we're going to the Desert of Illusions for a rescue mission. Then we're going to the Temple of Perception; it's where we should find the next strength booster for your gauntlets." Sheik said as he tightened the strings on his harp.

"So we get visit the estrogen asylum known as the Gerudo Tribe, awesome." Taavi grumbled as he crossed his arms. "Since they're all women, maybe we can trade _Sheik_ for a safe passage." Taavi smirked.

"Other than offering my sexual favors, we'll need to get supplies. The nearest town we can go to is a three day walk. But there is a closer town..." Sheik said, but there was hesitation in his voice.

"Why not go to the closer one, see if we can buy horses to hasten the pace?" Linka shrugged.

"Because the closest town in South Faron, and I don't want to pressure you into going back." Sheik said quietly. "It's your choice."

Linka thought for a moment as she mentally weighed her options. She didn't want to walk for three days, but she also didn't want to return to Faron. The idea of it made her sick with excitement of seeing her old friends, but nervous about the risk of seeing Malon again or running into Auntie Iggy. She was sure that Cian was out and about in some other part of the Hyrule, but to run into the people that practically pushed her towards that monster made her anger just thinking about them.

"Can I sleep on it?" Linka said bitterly.

"Of course," answered Sheik.

"I'm off to train, can't think right now." Linka grumbled as she walked out.

She felt infuriated just being close to Faron. She wanted to see Groosina, Stritcha, and Cawlina again; she didn't know what she'd do if she saw Auntie Iggy or Malon. She was still hurt by what they'd done and wanted to never see them again, but she was also curious as to how they were doing. When she saw Malon in the Temple of Reflection he said he left Faron shortly after she did; she wondered if there was any truth in that illusion. That made her wonder if disproving that illusion could disprove the other one she saw. If she could disprove the illusion of her pregnant and chained, maybe the nightmares would go away.

She used a wooden training dummy set up to simulate an opponent attacking from the way its wooden beams would swing around the hit the person training. She blocked the attacks with ease, even as it got faster. She knew she was being watched, but ignored them. She just wanted to be left alone and hoped that they would get bored and move on. After a while with them not moving she said something.

"You've been there for a while and I'm not fond of having an audience!" Linka barked as she glared into a dark corner.

"You noticed?" the voice purred.

"We just wanted to see you train, it's not everyday you get the honor of meeting someone with a piece of the Triforce." answered another.

"It's a birthmark, makes everything in a 100 km radius want to attack you, that's all." Linka growled; something wasn't right.

"You and Sheik seem pretty close," said a woman behind her.

" _Very_ close," said another.

 _I've got enough going, I don't need jealous women on top of that_. Linka thought to herself. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just small talk," said one.

"This ends now," said Sheik, frightening the woman next him; Linka was beginning to think he popped out of now-where like that on purpose to scare people.

Sheik and the others had a nonverbal conversation with everyone in the room before they scurried off. He turned to Linka with a hint of urgency and took her by the wrist.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked slightly worried.

"We need to go, change of plans." Sheik said quietly. "Go or no?" he asked; she knew what he meant.

"Go," said Linka. "We go back."

Sheik led them through a maze of doors and hallways. Once outside Sheik gestured to traveling through the trees and they soared through the woods. By nightfall they got to Faron; it hadn't changed at all since she last saw it. She wondered how they planned to buy anything since everyone would recognize her for sure.

"I'm going to get supplies, you can go meet with your friends. This may be the last time you ever see them." Sheik stated. "I'd tell you to come with me, but that would cause a scene. Just be careful that you stay out of sight." he said, Linka nodded.

She snuck to her old house by hiding in the treeline of the forest. She climbed the tree by the house and entered through the window into her old room. It felt strange walking around the room; it was bare and all traces of Linka having ever lived there was gone. All that remained in the room was a bed with nicely folded sheets, a table with a small vase with dead flowers, and a small chest she'd never seen before. She reached out to touch the dead flowers and fought the tears that threatened to spill. She turned around and scanned the room again. The room was so familiar yet strange to her.

"You okay?" asked Taavi sympathetically.

"I'm fine, it's just so weird." said Linka as she wiped away her tears. "I used to have a set of drawers there for my clothes. She took all of my things out, except for the flowers." Linka pointed out bitterly. "Malon gave me those flowers a few days before it happened."

"What's in the chest?" asked Taavi.

"I don't know." Linka shrugged.

"Let's take a look." said Taavi with a smile.

"I don't know," said scratched the back of her head.

"Why not?" asked Taavi.

"It's my Auntie's, I-I really shouldn't... Oh, why not?" Linka said as she reached for it.

Before she could touch the chest she could hear footsteps walking up the stairs. Linka and Taavi both hid in the rafters before Iggy could open the door. Linka couldn't help but notice how worn and ghostly Iggy looked. Her Auntie held a small candle that seemed to light up the entire room. Iggy knelt down in front of the chest and opened it. Iggy and the two all winced at the loud screech the hinges made in protest. She pulled out an off-white dress Linka recognized was her grandmother's wedding dress. Her mother wore it and Iggy had worn it as well; Linka used to dream about the day she would wear it, but knew she would likely never get to wear it. Iggy pulled the dress out and gently ran her finger over the seams of the color. She then buried her face into the fabric and wept softly.

"Why Linka? Why did you have to screw up?" Iggy said to no one with gritted teeth. "You at least had the chance to make things right. Why did you have to do that?" she growled as she aggressively folded the dress up and stuffed it back into the chest and slammed it shut.

Iggy grabbed the candle before she stomped over to the door and leaned on the doorway. She covered her mouth and wept again before she slammed the door behind her.

"She really blames you for what happened." said Taavi with shock.

"Yeah, she definitely does." said Linka sadly.

"There's an old saying: "you can't go home again". We should get going." said Taavi sadly.

"You can always go home again. It's just a matter of building your own." said Linka with a smile.

They silently scaled the house and ran silently away without a backwards glance. She knew it was the last time she would see the house, but she felt at peace with that idea now. Auntie Iggy resented her and purged the house of almost everything that proved Linka had lived there. She ran with the stealth of a Sheikah along the treeline and suddenly bolted up a tree and focused on Malon's home. It looked dark and foreboding. Though all of the houses were dark at that hour, Malon's home, in particular, looked haunting to her. She thought she heard Malon calling her name until she realized it was just Taavi.

"Linka, we should go. Nothing good will come from this. Let's go see Groosina; at least let your last memory of this place be a happy one." Taavi whisperd.

Linka nodded and continued on; the image of Malon's home scarred into her mind. It's emptiness frightened her for a few reasons. Linka went towards Groosina's house and tapped on the back window. Groosina first looked annoyed until she saw Linka. She grabbed her and dragged her in and hugged her to the point Linka thought she would break bones.

"How have you been? Where have you been? Do you have any-" Groosina rattled on as tears fell freely. "We've been so worried."

"Shhh, keep it down. I'm only dropping in for the moment." Linka whispered.

"Sorry, just thought I'd never see you again." Groosina wiped the tears away.

"What's going on in-" Cawlina said as Stritcha came in behind her and were struck silent at the sight of Linka; they all hugged her.

Groosina made tea and the four chatted like they did before Linka fled. They laughed and talked about what had happened since then. On occasion the three would suddenly stop talked and look to each other to determine how to proceed. Linka knew they really wanted to tak about Malon and Auntie Iggy, but wanted to keep her feelings in mind.

"You missed it Linka, Andrew (Anju) and Kafeia got engaged. Andrew tried to make this big production of a proposal, but it ended with Kafeia getting dragged through poop and Andrew getting attacked by cuccos." Stritcha laughed as she sipped her tea. "They're getting married next in a few days; we all _know_ she's pregnant." she said in a catty tone. "She been barfing and passing out like a drunk after Harvest-" she started, but quickly stopped.

The three suddenly felt uncomfortable. They seemed to fidget and began to look around the room as if an answer would appear in the wood grains.

"So, what have you been up to? Other than your weird hat." Cawlina teased.

"Been traveling from here to there; I've hunted dinalfos in Death Mountain and nearly got eaten by a giant angler, no biggie." Linka shrugged with a nervous smile; she figured it would be best not to mention that she'd broken into her old home.

"Your Auntie Iggy's been very lonely since you left." Groosina said with a knowing look.

"Groosina!" Cawlina scolded.

"It's fine, I've been curious how everyone's been." Linka said as she stared into her reflection in her tea.

"Iggy gets into bursts of rage as she thinks about that night; she's mad because-" Stitcha said, but lost the words to finish.

"She still blames you for what happened. If she sees you, she'll call Cian." Cawlina warned. "She's a stickler for tradition on that issue, regardless of what really happened."

"As for Malon; well, _that's_ a _whole_ other story." said Stitcha.

"A few days after someone said they saw you in Kakoriko, Malon and Cian got into the fight of the century. It got _ugly_." Cawlina said.

"So, he's still here." Linka said with a slight sigh of relief; the three began to fidget. "Don't tell him I'm here. I'm not here to see him." Linka said with a bitter tone as she turned her head with an upturned nose. "He's probably seeing someone else anyway."

"Gone," said Groosina which made Linka's blood run cold from horror. "He left after he heard you were in Kakoriko. Cian kept mouthing off to him and it sent him into a rage for which the likes have never been seen before. It took six people to restrain each of them; we thought they were actually going to kill each other." she shuttered at the memory.

"Wounded pride can do that," huffed Linka; the three seemed to wince at her tone. "They both put a great deal of of value on their egos."

"Linka-" Groosina began to say.

"We can't stay much longer. I'm getting some medicine, then we need to head out." Sheik said as he leaned against the wall; the three women jumped in surprise, but Linka had noticed him standing there a while before he announced his presence.

"Ok, we won't be much longer." Linka said as she sipped her tea, then Sheik vanished.

"A Sheikah!" Groosina whispered in awe.

"Yeah, I'm surprised he allowed you to see him. I think he sneaks up on everyone for the hell of it." Linka said casually. "I guess even Sheikah have to find ways to entertain themselves." she shrugged.

"Hubbudy-bubbudy, I would ride that dick till sunrise." Groosina purred. Linka tried to play it cool and say nothing, but Groosina noticed her suddenly stiffen. "You didn't..." she smirked.

"Well, you see-" Linka was now blushing and stammering on her words.

"Oh, she did," Stritcha whispered with excitement as she shook with glee.

"She _definately_ did!" Cawlina nearly squealed; Linka's fidgeting only made them more giddy.

"Come one Linka! Details! Details! You can't sleep with a Sheikah and keep it yourself! What was it like?" now Groosina was interested and had grabbed Linka by her shoulders and began shaking her. "Was it kinky? Wierd? I've got stories for all kinds of different men, but I've never known anyone who slept with a Sheikah."

"I don't kiss and tell." Linka was beat-red all the way to the tip of long ears.

"I will hunt you down if you leave without telling me," Groosina was almost insulted Linka wouldn't share. "I've told you about my experiences, I trusted you to keep my secrets!"

"I didn't ask for them!" Linka defended herself. "And you told me about those because you wanted to brag to someone and all of you placed bets on how fast my blushing could reach the tips of my ears."

"Cause their soooo long." said Cawlina. "And you're so easy to embarrass."

"It was probably bland and uneventful. Did he recite poetry, oh little snow princess?" Groosina mocked. "You're no fun," Groosina pouted.

"He said some flowery shit to her and she melted. I was plenty embarrassed for her." grumbled Taavi as he poked out from under her hat.

"What the-" Cawlina stammered.

"This is Taavi. He's a fairy and has been helping me get from place to place." said Linka.

"Gimme details." Groosina shot at Taavi as she slammed her fists on the table; never-mind seeing a rare male fairy because , damn it, she wanted answers. "She's not talking."

"She clearly had no idea what she was doing, she can't talk dirty, and she'd get all twitchy whenever he would-" Taavi said before being muffled from Linka stuffing him under her hat and pulling it tight over her head. This made the other three howl with laughter

"Linka! Let the man speak!" Groosina demanded as she moved to grab her hat and Taavi burst out.

"We need to get moving," said Sheik as he stood in the same place he'd been minutes prior; his sudden appearance made Groosina squeak in fright. "Taavi, it's rude to talk about intimate moments between others, such as Linka and myself. What happens between between two people sexually shouldn't be used for ridicule." Sheik said as he crossed his arms and looked at Taavi sternly.

"Just in time, let's go!" Linka said a bit too eager to evade the awkward turn the conversation had taken.

Taavi was about to say something, but lost the words. He looked between Linka, Sheik, and the three women several times before looking as though he had fallen into a trap. For a moment he shook with rage before zooming under Linka's hat; Groosina, Cawlina, and Stritcha all squeed quietly as they saw Linka turn a new shade of red from embarrassment at Sheik's confirmation of what happened between them. Groosina's giggles began to bubble up. All was calm for a moment until Taavi pulled a piece of Linka's hair out and that opened the flood gates to more laughing.

"Your discomfort has always made me smile," Groosina smirked.

"We need to go," said Sheik.

Linka gave each woman a hug, but Groosina held on. She put her hands on Linka's shoulders like she was looking for the words as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Linka, listen... there's something-" Groosina said.

"No time," said Sheik as he grabbed Linka's arm and out the window they went.

Linka starred at Groosina's face as she was dragged away. Groosina looked saddened and scared as she moved to grab Linka, but suddenly changed her mind. The two mounted their horses and off into the night they went. Soon Sheik and Linka were out of sight from Groosina, then the house, then Faron.

"I never got to tell her about what happened." Groosina said as a tear fell down her cheek.

"You tried, you did what you could." said Cawlina.

"There's a good chance we'll never see her again." Groosina said as she wiped away her tears. "I didn't want to say anything, but after seeing her, maybe it's for the best, I hope."

Elsewhere in Hyrule:

"How is everything with the cat and the harp?" asked Zelda as she looked through intelligence reports.

"As well as it can," sighed Impaz as she did the same.

"In all fairness, you _did_ tell him to do what was needed at all costs. He probably thought he was following orders." Zelda shrugged.

"Do you have a document of information written by scouts Star, Hammer, and Blue Shell?" asked Impaz with a hint of alarm.

"I do, what am I looking at?" asked Zelda with caution; until she noticed. "Get word to him, get them out of there now!" Zelda ordered with restrained horror.

Hyrule Field:

"What's going on?" asked Linka, now feeling a little annoyed. "You've never been this pushy."

"That rescue mission I told you about has escalated; it's a hostage situation now as well." said Sheik calmly. "Someone very important has been captured and they're trying to take a very important map from him. We need to get there before they figure out how to get the it."

"What's their demands?" asked Linka; Sheik's silence answered her question. "Right, they want me, but how would that work? I'm female, they're all females, how would that even work?" Linka said with a eye twitch as she tried to add it up mentally.

"I can't comment on that at the moment." said Sheik. "How was your visit?" he said clearly trying to dodge the topic.

"It was okay. My Auntie still blames me for what happened and-" she stopped short of talking about Malon. "-and people I'd known are getting married. " she smiled.

"I'm sure going there wasn't easy. I hope you don't go to regret it." said Sheik.

"Is it possible for the illusions from the Temple of Relfections to come true?" asked Linka.

"I take it Malon wasn't there." said Sheik very matter-of-fact. "Don't worry about it. Often you go down the path you desperately seek to avoid simply by worrying about it."

"If you don't know just say so. What's the plan anyway?" asked Linka.

"We're going to sneak into-." said Sheik.

They were suddenly attacked from everywhere, even the bushes and patches of dirt by their feet were thrown aside and they were attacked from all sides. Linka laid dumbstruck on the ground as she watched their horses flee from sight. She saw Sheik being chained up as her hands were yanked behind her and shackled. A Sheikah sprayed something into her face and all went black.


	11. When Shadows Fall

Linka woke up on a filthy mattress in a dank cell. She slowly sat up and looked around to find herself alone; even the other cells were empty. She also noticed her things were missing too.

"Good to see you awake, Ms. Linka." said a male voice. "You're in The Stone Well. We can keep you safe from Demise here. All we ask in return is that you join our tribe. You can marry Sheik, raise a family, and never be bothered by anyone from Faron again." the man offered.

"Where's Sheik?" she asked.

"Working on the hostage issue in the Badlands.. Join us and we will protect you." he said, very insistent.

"Why am I in a cell?" Linka asked with suspicion. _Something's not adding up_ , Linka thought to herself.

"We can't let you wander around here, it's for security reasons." he answered. "I apologize for the lack of accommodations, but we get so very few guests here. I will come back for your shortly." he said before bowing slightly and leaving Linka alone.

Once his footsteps had faded completely she glanced around to see if anyone was watching before picking the lock on her cell.

"You've been picking so many locks lately I've begun to wonder if that reddish brown hair is because you're part Gerudo." said Taavi. "Seems like all of the heroes were a lost war away from being considered the biggest thief in Hyrule."

"Then I best not lose then," Linka said with bored apathy as she quietly slipped out of her cell and snuck off.

Everything about the place felt wrong. The air chilled her bones and the occasional scream made her blood run cold. She saw walls, tables, and other equipment stained with new and old blood. Some chambers were lined with rusted shackles; some of them still had skeletal and rotting remains of the last person who was in them. On occasion they would see a corpse left to rot where they assumed the individual died. The smell from the bodies was overwhelming to the point Linka began to gag.

"What is this place?" Linka asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's a dungeon used exclusively by the Sheikah for interrogation. They call it The Stone Well, but it's known by others in spy circles as the Shadow Temple. The people brought here are tortured for information; many are tortured to the point that their spirits will lash out at whatever living thing walks past them; only the Sheikah are safe since the spirits are terrified of them. The Sheikah also have a very special magic to hide things in plain sight, even make things invisible." he warned. "So there could be a bunch of spikes in the middle of the floor ready to impale you, but you wouldn't see them."

"We need to find Sheik. I'm sure he'll know best how to navigate this place." Linka said quietly.

"He probably set you up." said Taavi.

" _Seriously_ Taavi, what is it with you? You've been huffier and more insulting than usual. What's your problem?" Linka asked annoyed.

"I have not," Taavi shot back immaturely.

"Ya- _huh_ ," said Linka.

"Nuh- _uh_ ," Taavi responded; this went back and forth for a few minutes.

"Is it because I had sex with Sheik? Get over yourself!" Linka growled. "What's it to you anyway! You're 3 inches tall and right now we're surrounded by piles upon piles of corpses! We have bigger things to worry about and that's all you can think about!"

"I'm not jealous!" Taavi said angrily.

"Can we focus on this now? We're in a dungeon with blood all over the torture devices, secretive scary people stalking about, and we hear someone scream bloody-murder every so often! Now is not the time to be a jealous prick!" Linka stated in a harsh whisper. "Slut-shame me all you want; I have no regrets." she snorted.

The two silently fumed as they searched for Linka's equipment. Every once in a while they would see something out of the corner of their eye and jump. Little by little they found her things, but Taavi was most insistent they find her fiddle first. Whenever Linka would try to ask him why, he would urge her to run and tell her to not argue and just run.

"Is someone following us?" she asked annoyed; she didn't like not knowing what was happening.

"Follow behind me! There's too many things hidden you can't see!" Taavi shouted.

"What's going on?" growled Linka.

"A shadow is chasing us! The reason you can't see them is because you're a human who isn't a member of the Sheikah tribe! I'm a fairy, so I get to see the horror that's an inch behind you!" said Taavi as he panted from fear.

"Why is my fiddle so important?" asked Linka.

"Because using the White Sword will only hold them off for a short while. You'll need to play The Song of Healing in order to put the shadow to rest. If you don't, they'll just keep chasing you." said Taavi anxiously. "Turn this way! The runes here will keep them away!"

She went into the narrow alley and Taavi paused to catch his breath. She'd never seen him so exhausted before.

"You okay?" asked Linka.

"If you could see what I just saw, you'd been ready to pass out." said Taavi, he looked like he was going to be sick.

"Take a rest on my shoulder. Save you energy." Linka winked at Taavi; he gladly took her offer.

They continued walking for a distance longer until they heard whispering. Linka used her hookshot to hide and silently observe their company. Two deformed males trudged by cackling as they dragged a bloody and beaten older man behind them. Linka silently followed them, but failed to get close enough to hear what they were saying. She managed to get a better look at the man and recognized him, Bongo. His face was covered in dry crusty blood and his limbs moved in a way to suggest they were broken. His clothes were filthy and his breathing was labored. (A/N: I know I never specified Bongo being older, but now you know :P He's about 50)

"We have to help him!" Linka said urgently.

"No! We need to haul ass out of here!" Taavi said panicked. "Those are the Dead Hands of the Sheikah tribe! Their known for being as brutal as they are ugly!"

Linka ignored him and continued following the two. They pulled Bongo up onto a table and chained him down. Linka managed to sneak into the chamber without them seeing her and noticed a more gruesome detail; Bongo's magic eye had been gouged out.

"Not so powerful without this, eh?" taunted one of the men as he grinned with his large frightening teeth while waving a bloody purple eye-patch-like object with the magic eye in a glass lens.

"Now give us what we need! We could _protect_ her from a most _terrible_ fate." the other mocked as he pick up Bongo's hand and broke his fingers.

"Follow the skull-legs and put the darkness to bed." Bongo hissed in pain; the two were silent for a moment before they began laughing. Bongo looked in Linka's direction with a dead look in his eye. "Let the trees sing them to sleep as the Knight watches over them."

"The old man is delirious now, guess he'll need a refresher!" one said before breaking more bones in Bongo's hand.

"Linka, I think he just told us where to find the fiddle is. Let's give it try." said Taavi.

Linka nodded and went out with great hesitation. It was hard to leave, but if he was signaling to her to get the fiddle in his condition, it had to be important. They looked around and desperately looked for skulls with legs. They inspected every statue, carving, doorways, and brick structure. Just as they were giving up a giant skulltela popped out and Taavi shrieked with terror. After beating it, Linka suddenly realized what Bongo was talking about.

"Follow the skulltelas!" said Linka as she listened for more and ran off.

Linka followed the skulltelas and eventually found a small chest. She wasted to time picking the lock and pulled out her fiddle and bolted back to where Bongo was. During the time she was gone the two men and hacked off both of Bongo's hands; the only thing keeping him from bleeding to death were dirty tourniquets that were likely to give him an infection later. When they went to slice open Bongo's throat, Linka jumped down and knocked them away from him.

"The Chosen Knight!" one hissed as he raised a deformed hand to point.

"That's her alright!" growled the other.

"My, my, pumpkin. Why are you out and about? We were going to come get you in a moment." one laughed as they stalked closer to her.

Despite their large size and deformed features they were very agile. For a long time Linka was on the defensive. One managed to get behind her and trapped her against his chest. The other came charging towards her ready to punch. Linka raised her arms up and dropped her weight suddenly to escape and rolled out of they way. The two large men collided and Linka beheaded one with a single slash. She impaled the other through the neck and stepped back as he choked on his blood.

"The Beast is following you; he'll get you one day." the last one smiled. "Just you wait, you'll get yours." he laughed as he gargled his own blood; Linka slashed his throat to speed up his death.

"Put on the eye, it will help you." Bongo gasped through labored breaths.

Linka picked up the purple eye patch with Bongo's magic eye and felt a little nauseous for putting on someone's eyeball over her face. Her aversion to wearing his eye quickly turned to fright as she saw the shadows Taavi was talking about. She pulled out her sword and subdued the shadows long enough to play The Song of Healing. Images rushed through her mind of the horrors the shadows went through before dying. Some were people from every tribe who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, misidentified as a spy, or were a spy.

The two men she had just killed went through her mind as well. She saw the two and their brother were deformed and regularly ridiculed for it, because of their deformed flipper-like hands they were called Dead-Hands. The oldest could only get work as a grave digger because it was all that was available for him. The oldest, Dampe, did all he could to support the family until the night he was assaulted by people who wanted "the freak" to leave Kakoriko. When the two came to visit Dampe on his night visit they saw the beating and jumped in to defend him. They killed the men and threw the bodies into the open graves and pushed coffins on top of them and buried them.

The two took Dampe to the doctor and waited for him outside of the clinic; that's when a young Impaz approached them. She offered them work as interrogators in exchange for not turning them in for murder. The two agreed in order to stay out of jail and the money for the work would be more than enough to get Dampe the help he needed. From there they spiraled into violence and soon began to do the work for the pleasure of feeling powerful.

Linka now felt horrible for what she had done, but grabbed Bongo off the table and desperately sought to get out. The magic eye helped her find the way and soon she found herself standing in the spot where she had first met Bongo. She slung him over her shoulder and carried him into his home and laid him on his bed.

"Hang on Bongo, I'm getting you to a doctor." said Linka in panic.

"That's the Chosen Knight for you, loyal to the bitter end." Bongo laughed softly. "Even to an old Sheikah. We should be fine right here. We're too close to town to try anything drastic."

"Shh, save your strength, I'm going to get help!" Linka stated before looking in her things for a bandage to stop the bleeding.

"There's a fairy fountain around where we first met. Use the eye to find it." he whispered and Linka went running.

"Where does it hurt?" Taavi asked, unsure of what to say.

"Only my everything, you jackass." Bongo said before laughing and then wincing from the pain. "I used to hate that eye because it made me appear like a madman to those who didn't know, now I miss it; I just can't seem to make up my mind, can I?" he smiled as he spoke to no one in particular and raised the stumps where his hands used to be. "Do your worst, you old bastard. End me now, I dare you." he challenged to no one in particular as he brought his stumps together."

"Do you see the Grim Reaper?" asked Taavi, but Bongo only laughed in response.

When Linka returned to find Bongo's bandages gone and blood pooling out from his wrists. His breathing was more labored. Linka frantically tried to re-bandage his stumps to save him as tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Linka, could you play the healing song, for me?" he wheezed.

Linka's hands shook as she pulled out her fiddle. She pulled the bow across the strings and began to play the song. Bongo smiled a genuine smile and relaxed into his bed. As she played the song, flashes of Bongo's life drifted through her.

Bongo was a young man, whose white hair naturally looked like cat ears and two normal eyes, with ambition and great respect among his tribe. He had been called in by their leader for an urgent meeting. Bongo power-walked to meet with the leader and had to calm himself before entering the room. He had waited for this opportunity for so long and now it was a push away. He took a deep breathe and walked inside. He bowed before the leader.

"Good to see you Bongo. I hope you are well today." said the leader. "I have an important mission for you. Do you accept?"

"I accept." Bongo said with ambition.

"The next wielder of the Triforce of Courage has been found. The chosen hero has been reborn into a small village close to The Lost Woods." the leader said and Bongo perked up immediately.

" _The Hero_? The hero of legend that is reborn every century or more to protect the kingdom? The hero that fought Demise to protect the Skyward Kingdom? The hero that vanquished the wind mage Vaati and restored order to the Minish!" said Bongo as he geeked out as much as a Sheikah could without looking like a complete fanboy.

"Yes, that's the one. There is, however, a _small_ difference between this rebirth compared to the others and it is because of this we need nothing short of our absolute best to protect her." the leader said sternly. "You and Impaz are to pack and leave immediately. Take these papers with you and burn them once you've read them; enclosed is a picture of _The Wolf_ so you can identity her once you've gotten there." the leader said as he handed Bongo an envelope with a wax red stamp.

The next memory was of Bongo and Impaz in a tree watching Linka playing with dolls. Impaz looked stoic, but Bongo looked perplexed. He looked at the picture and back at Linka, then back at the picture.

"This is our target, now burn the picture already. There's no intelligence yet to indicate that anyone else knows about her." said Impaz.

"But, she's just a little girl." said Bongo quietly.

"As we've been briefed, this is the very rare female part of the rebirth cycle. This is the moment the bloodline is most vulnerable and why we have to stay alert; then we kidnap her when the time's right." said Impaz.

"She's just a baby." said Bongo.

"Every hero starts out that way." said Impaz in an annoyed tone. "We need to develop a way to take her without raising suspicion." Impaz rolled her eyes and looked down at the little girl again.

"I think we should just keep an eye on her and let her live as normal a life as possible. It'll help her maintain the humble part of the nature of The Spirit of the Hero. Not to mention it will help her better relate to others in the kingdom."

"Fair enough, but we should formulate a plan anyway should we have to grab her." said Impaz.

Impaz nodded in Linka's direction to redirect Bongo to what was happening. Bongo looked to see that Linka had noticed them and walked over to the tree and looked directly at him. The Linka looked directly at Bongo and smiled brightly at him. She raised her arms up to reach for him and jumped up and down excitedly.

"What is it sweety?" asked Linka's mother.

"Kitty!" squealed Linka.

"Leave the Kitties alone, they'll come down eventually on their own." her mother said happily before picking her up and walking back to the house.

Two weeks pass and the Harvest Festival is in full swing. Merchants, traveling entertainers, and other festival goers gathered in Linka's village for the event. For two weeks the two Sheikah watched Linka being a normal little girl. Bongo watched her play with dolls, toddle behind her parents as she tried to help with chores, and snuggle with her father at the end of the day.

"You did so well today Linka! Do you want to help grandma tomorrow with making apple bread?" asked Linka's mother.

"Yeah! Apple Bread! Apple Bread!" Linka cheered as she waved her arms around.

"But first thing's first, we all need a good night's rest before baking all of that bread for festival goers." said Linka's father.

"But I not tired! Auntie Iggy needs help with the horsies!" pouted Linka.

"How about you help her by counting how many you see outside through the window?" said her father as he carried her to look outside; in no time she was snoring peacefully on his shoulder.

"I no tired! I no tired! Zzzzzzz..." her mother quietly mocked as she moved Linka's hair out of her face.

"It's hard to believe that she will one day become a fierce warrior and begin a new lineage for the Spirit." Bongo said with a small smile as a messenger pigeon came into the tree where they hid. "What's the word?"

"They've agreed to your statement about letting her be for now, but have said the moment she's at risk of another abducting her we need to step in." said Impaz without emotion.

The next memory was of him watching her while sitting in a tree as she washed clothes with the other women. The scene was very calming; Bongo often caught himself forgetting that Linka would one day begin the new lineage of heroes. If he hadn't been paying attention he would never have seen the Zora so stealthily pull Linka under the water. They had moved so swiftly that the others with Linka hadn't yet noticed her disappearance. Bongo swiftly moved through the trees as he prepared his swimming gear and dove into the water. He knew enough about the Zora to know about their secret tunnel in the deep part of the river.

Bongo dove into the water and dashed to the bottom as fast as he could. He swam until his muscles ached, but got his second wind once her spotted the Zoras. The pair sped towards the entrance into the underwater labyrinth. Linka had lost consciousness by this point; neither Zora saw Bongo coming. He used the hookshot to grab Linka and fired darts from a small crossbow hidden in his sleeves. He killed the Zoras and used a small gust jar to shoot him and Linka towards the surface. Once on shore he worked to revive Linka. It broke his heart to hear her ribs break, but knew it was necessary to bring her back; he figured the villagers would find a way to explain her injuries.

He was back into the trees before anyone could see him. Bongo could feel Impaz's glare as he settled into the shadows. He smiled at the way Linka's father cradled her small form and even began to tear up at what had happened.

"You should have taken her back to our village. They would've been none the wiser thinking she'd drowned." Impaz growled.

"I don't want to rip a baby from the arms of her loving family." Bongo said quietly.

"She's not a baby, she's the hero." Impaz said coldly.

"She's a little girl who should have some happiness in her life before her duty to Hyrule robs her of it. Her life'll never be the same again after The Spirit awakens. Why rush her into losing her innocence?" said Bongo.

"You can't look at her that way." said Impaz.

"How can you not? Since she was 3 years old we have watched her play with dolls, toddle about her village, make daisy chains, laugh, cry, and grow. I'm rooting for her, why can't you?" asked Bongo.

"I _am_ rooting for her, but I'm keeping her best interests in mind. We know know that the Zoras know who she is and, likely, so do the other tribes now. You're thinking that you've given her a few more years of happiness, but what you've really done is put her at risk for getting abducted by another tribe." said Impaz.

"You mean, so she can be kidnapped by us first?" restored Bongo.

"No, she will be raised in a tribe that will see to it she's in a healthy environment." said Impaz.

"So we can push her into copulating with someone _we_ approve of." growled Bongo; Impaz was silent for a moment before getting very close to his face.

"Would you rather she be raised a Sheikah, or get kidnapped by another tribe and treated like little more than a broodmare. If your feelings are going to mess with your judgement, you need to be removed from this case. Go back to headquarters, I'll send a pigeon ahead of you so they know." she scowled.

Bongo stalked off into the woods. He felt angry and fearful. He would likely be executed for what he'd done, but had no regrets. A storm rolled in and he ducked into a cave for shelter. The wind picked up and changed directions in a sudden and unnatural way; he was pushed deeper into the cave before slipping and sliding the rest of the way. He desperately tried to cling to something, but couldn't get a hold of anything. He went over a ledge and free-fell down a long hole into an underground lake. In the pitch black he could feel a presence nearby. That's when he heard the Great Fairy's laughter. She shot out of the water and illuminated the cave.

"Oh Bongo, how good to see you." she purred; Bongo's vain attempt at bowing made her chuckle. "Relax, I brought you here to talk." she said as she used her magic to lift Bongo from the water. "I saw what you did for Linka; that was very noble of you. You fought to keep her with her family when others were eager to take her away. The goddesses have used their powers to allow her parents to live long enough that she would remember them. Without using magic you knew it would do best to leave her with her family; for your good deed I will grant you a gift." she said as she began to conjure her powers.

"I am thankful you would consider worthy of such honor, but I am unworthy of such a gift." he said softly.

"Oh, I insist." she laughed.

Bongo wanted to say "no", but no one denied the Great Fairies. Gifts from fairies were often a greater burden than they were worth. He knew a farmer that had been giving the fairies cream and was rewarded with a staff that would make his livestock fertile. When the farmer lost it a flood killed off his livestock and he was never to recover financially. Whatever she gave him would certainly be amazing, but it very likely to cause him grief.

His face burned horribly and his left eye watered uncontrollably. When the magic stopped swirling around him he saw the world so differently. When he felt the throbbing part of his head he accidentally poked himself in the eye; as he felt around he noticed his left eye was much larger than it had been. So many images shot through his head he didn't know what he was seeing. His head ached to the point he almost blacked out; The Great Fairy laughed as he cringed with pain.

"I have given you the gift of foresight. With this eye you see what is and what isn't. You see past, present, and future; with this you will be able to properly watch over Linka until she's old enough to fend for herself." The Great Fairy winked. "It will take some getting used to. I will send you back to Faron to continue your duties to Hyrule." she laughed. "You can also see what will be, and what can be."

"I-I-I don't understand!" Bongo stammered as images of past, present, and future zoomed by him.

He saw Linka as a little girl playing with dolls, he saw The Great Fairy standing before him, and he saw Faron in flames with Linka sobbing in the arms of her Auntie Iggy. He saw Impaz starting the fire and scouts from the other tribes in position to grab Linka as Impa planted a charred corpse of a little girl in the house as Linka's family sat unaware in the next room.

"Why is she setting fire to Faron?" he asked in a fearful tone.

"Allow me to heal you first, then you will see why." she winked before healing him. "Now, off you go. With your new powers you can save her from a terrible fate." she winked before transporting him back to Faron.

Bongo ran as fast as he could; once he was out of the forest he saw Faron in flames and heard people screaming. The smoke and flames were so harsh, no one noticed him as he searched for Linka. He saw Linka trying to get out of the house; she choked on the smoke as she called for her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?" she shouted, her eyes teared up as she held her arms in front of her as she searched for the exit. Bongo grabbed her and ran out the door and almost tripped over the bodies of her parents on the way out; both killed from falling debris.

As he ran outside he was faced with a Gerudo looking to take advantage of the chaos. She pulled out her sabers and charged. Bongo had to fight with only one arm as he shielded Linka from the attacks. His all-seeing eye showed a Zora coming from behind. He ducked in time to avoid the spear he, otherwise, never saw coming. The three fought for a while until Impaz joined in; it stopped when a Goron came charging through with a rolling attack.

All combatants stood silently for a moment; Linka sneezed and the fight began again. Linka remained unconscious as she was spun about as Bongo dodged attacks with amazing acrobatics. The sound of incoming locals ended the fight as everyone fled into the woods. Bongo's power showed him that the only reason the other citizens' lives were being spared was simply that it got too many travelers to simply wipe the place out without anyone noticing.

The Gerudos, Zoras, and Gorons vanished as the other Sheikah came forth. Impaz turned to Bongo to take Linka, but he'd already snuck off to place her with the locals before slipping away to the other Sheikah. Impaz looked outraged as she looked into his empty arms.

"Where-is-she?" growled Impaz.

"Relax, she's safe!" Bongo said quietly.

"You have no idea what you've done!" Impaz growled.

"I saved her." said Bongo.

"Saved her? I started that fire to frame her death so we could take her!" shouted Impaz with only the chaos and distance from the town stopping others from hearing her. "Do you have any idea how long it took to find someone that looked similar to her and then the awful smell I had to deal with to plant a corpse to fake her death!" growled Impaz.

"You did this? You could have killed her!" Bongo shouted.

"The only death would've been the girl I killed to make everyone else think Linka died." said Impaz coolly. "Don't look surprised. You've lied, killed, tortured, and cheated to get what needed to be done. This is for what's best for Hyrule. Consider yourself dismissed from this case." said Impaz before walking away into the night.

"Bongo? What happened to your eye?" asked the leader.

"The Great Fairy bestowed me with a gift." Bongo said quietly.

"Indeed she has." said the leader quietly. "You're back on the case. We will replace you with another scout. You will guide the scouts from headquarters since you're not in the right state of mind to be in the field."

The next memory Bongo is older and he's talking to Zelda herself. His face expresses fear as Zelda holds a strong poker-face. He looks distressed and seems to have been arguing for a while.

"Please, Your Grace, please reconsider! Don't send _him_!" Bongo pleaded.

"Don't send who?" asked Zelda calmly.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about! Why are you asking for _his_ help?" demanded Bongo as he slammed his fists on Zelda's desk.

"He knows where to find the sacred relics that will help on her quest. He will also be able to guide her through the temples and magic landscapes very few would be able to do. The Great Fairies are helping us with this since they are in great danger if this threat isn't neutralized." said Zelda.

"But Princess-!"

"I too have powers of foresight!" Zelda growled. "Taavi is going to be our best shot." she glared.

"Is that what he's calling himself now?" Bongo chuckled lightly. "A name change won't erase what he's done." Bongo was silent for a moment. "Can we _really_ trust him?"

"Yes," said Zelda with a genuine smile. "It is because of him Hyrule will flourish and the bloodline will become more powerful than ever imagined. He will point her in the right direction."

"It's going to destroy her! You know how this will end!" Bongo said as a tear fell down his cheek.

Tears fell down her face freely as she played the song. She had forgotten about seeing him in the tree as a kid. She felt angry knowing that she'd been watched and not knowing it. She felt at peace knowing that someone was looking out for her and wondered if the one helping her in his place was Sheik, but this made her more cautious about trusting the Sheikah. Sheik does work for Impaz and now she knew Impaz was responsible for killing her parents so she needed to ask a few questions; before she could finish the last part of the song she heard someone sneaking in through a window from another room. She stopped playing and went to grab Bongo.

"Run!" Bongo wheezed. "I'll be fine, now go!"

"To the Badlands!" whispered Taavi.

Linka, with hesitation, snuck out the door and sped off quietly. Bongo panted in pain as Impaz's statue grew closer to him. She pulled out a knife and slashed his neck. Bongo looked shocked at first, but then his face relaxed as his head rolled off the bed and the last of the blood left to pour out spilled onto the pillow. She picked up the guitar by his bed and played the healing song in reverse. Once finished she severed the bottom part of his body and dumped his torso into the pit under his table before covering it up again. She took his head, hands, and the bottom half of his body and covered them with oil. She lit a lantern and threw it on the pile before vanishing into the night.

Linka was far out into Hyrule field before she saw the smoke. She stopped for a moment as it began to sink in what she was seeing. She slowly pulled out her sword and gently pressed the tip into the ground before kneeling down while holding the handle with both hands. She bowed her head silently to pay respect to Bongo; she knew the Sheikah were moving to destroy the evidence. All she could do was hope that she had put his spirit to rest.

"Linka, we need to keep moving. The best way to honor him is to finish the mission." Taavi said; Linka nodded in agreement. She continued on to the Badlands with new determination.

A/N: I want to say thank you to everyone who has posted a review and everyone who follows the story! I've got a sequel to this story planned; I'm hoping to write over 20 chapters all together, but only time will tell on that if I can do it. Thank you everyone again who has reviewed or has been following this story! :D


	12. A Moral Dilema

Linka traveled to the Badlands of the Gerudo Territory. She bought some supplies at the town on the border between Hyrule and the Badlands before getting a room for the night. The people were friendly, but they seemed suspicious of outsiders and asked very few questions. Some seemed worried to see a young woman traveling by herself into such a rough area and tried to talk her into turning back; when she insisted she would be fine they did little to stop her. She sat at the counter of the Milk Bar next to the Inn she was staying at to get a meal and gather information.

"What brings you to this town? Don't often see people coming through here alone." asked the barkeep with little interest.

"Just passing through," answered Linka with equal interest to continue the conversation.

"I'd avoid the Gerudos as much as possible. They don't consider it to be lying or stealing unless it's against another Gerudo, and that hostage situation is only making things worse." said the barkeep as he washed a glass; now Linka was interested.

"What's the situation over there?" she asked; until he mentioned it she had forgotten about the hostages.

"Apparently some of the Gerudo didn't approve of their king's treaty with Hyrule and decided to overthrow him. The Gerudo like their traditions, but many felt the treaty violated the tribal code in regards to what they consider to be theft. No one's sure if they'll kill the king, but the one thing I'm sure of is that the new king they've chosen is a monster. Crime has shot up 'round here since he's stepped in and he's made no secret that he's hostile towards Hyrule; the whole thing seems weird to me. Since when have they had two males born in less than 100 years of each other? Their king's only 35." the barkeep wondered out loud.

"He took a group of Hylian merchants captive too. They've been known to come into Hyrule looking for Hylian boyfriends and leaving once they've gotten pregnant; they've kidnapped men before and assaulted them until they got what they wanted, but they've never taken this many at once before. The whole thing's strange." added another patron.

"Rumor has it he's been demanding Hyrule hand over his fiance. He claims that his bride was taken away from him by order of the royal family itself. The guy sounds like a wack-job if you ask me." chimed in another drunk patron.

 _Sounds like Cian_ , Linka thought to herself as she finished her milk and closed her tab. She went back to her room and got ready to sleep as Taavi made himself comfortable on the pillow.

"Not sleeping as far from me as possible?" asked Linka.

"You've been sleeping more peacefully. You haven't tried to squish me in a while." smiled Taavi as he closed his eyes.

"He's right, you've been sleeping better." said Sheik as he seemed to materialize from no where behind Linka, but Linka had sensed him come in a moment ago. Taavi awoke with a start.

"Stop doing that!" Taavi scolded.

"You shouldn't sneak up on us like that. I might stab you one day." Linka grinned.

"Yet you haven't," Sheik shrugged. "The situation's getting worse with the Gerudo, and I feel it's fair to warn you about what's out there." Sheik sighed as he rubbed his head. "Cian's leading the rebellion over there and he's demanding you in exchange for not attacking Hyrule."

" _Fuuuuck_ , why am I not surprised," was all Linka could say as she fell back on the bed. "First he attacks me, then he teams up with bandits to catch me, _then_ he makes a deal with Ghirahim, _now_ he's overthrown a tribal leader and demands I either come out or he'll attack the kingdom. What the _fuck_?" Linka groaned.

"Aren't _you_ popular?" Taavi said as he rolled his eyes.

"Is there a reason I have to get involved with this whole mess? Can't I just go to the temple there and do what needs to be done?" asked Linka. "I'd rather not get involved with anymore politics than I've already gotten into. Oh! That reminds me, when we were ambushed by the other Sheikah. What was that about?" she asked as she crossed her arms. "We were attacked and didn't see you again until now. What happened?"

"It's complicated" asked Sheik after a short pause.

"She was taken to The Stone Well by your tribesman." Taavi stated.

"... Odd," was all Sheik said.

"He told me to have a child with you and stay with the Sheikah. What's going on?" asked Linka.

"There are those within the tribe that want the heir for their own. I'm not with them, if that's what you're asking." said Sheik. "Surely, it doesn't surprise you to see some of the Sheikah wanting to have the heir born into their lineage."

"It's also strange that you were so insistent on getting us out of Faron when you did. Were you leading us into a trap?" accused Taavi. "Not to mention that Linka was locked up in a cell, yet you were no where to be found. What gives?"

"When you were taken to The Stone Well, I was taken to another place where they tried to convince me to talk you into stopping the mission and bearing my child. News of our night together spread and they wanted to take advantage of it. A rift has formed within the Sheikah tribe on how to handle the matter at hand. In Bongo's efforts to convince the others to make your mission as painless as possible, some thought it would be best try to produce an heir before Demise could get a hold of you. When they heard about our night together they thought of it as an opportunity. I managed to escape, but by the time I got to Stone Well I saw the flames. Bongo fought for you till the end and it cost him his life, never forget that." stated Sheik.

"Where do you stand on the rift?" asked Taavi.

"My mission is to protect Linka, not force her into doing something she doesn't want." answered Sheik.

"What of the hostage situation, or that map you mentioned? How does that play into this?" asked Linka. "How does it fit into what's going on?"

"They've taken a large number of Hylians hostage to discredit the royal family in their ability to protect their own people within their own borders. A few of them come from Faron, so you'll have to take extra caution that you aren't seen by any of the people there." Sheik said.

"What about the map?" asked Linka; she raised an eyebrow at his pause.

"The map is of a secret path to the Royal Palace. The need to retrieve it is vital." he stated with a nod. "I've got a disguise for you to wear. Go put it on so we can make sure it fits." Sheik said before throwing her something wrapped in a plain cloth.

"What is-" Linka said as she unwrapped it enough to see a hint of orange fabric with black and green stitched patterns. "Oh, Subrosia no..." said Linka as she recognized the patterns.

"There's a folding screen over there." Taavi said eagerly as he hovered over it.

"Do I have to wear this?" Linka said as she began to blush.

"Cian will recognize you if you wear Hylian clothing. You'll need to blend in." Sheik stated..

"Show us! Show us! Show us!" Taavi began to chant.

"Al-al-alright! Just-just give me a minute." Linka stammered as she slowly walked toward the folding screen.

"Is it what I think it is?" Taavi asked coyly, Sheik only nodded in response.

Linka slowly changed into the disguise as Taavi felt giggles bubbling up. They could see her silhouette behind the screen and that she wasn't happy. She kept tugging at different parts of it and appeared to get frustrated when it wouldn't fit the way she wanted.

"Well?" said Taavi.

"There's gotta be another way." said Linka.

"This is the traditional garb of the Gerudo. I'm certain you know that as well. Even those who haven't met the Gerudo in person know about their clothing. I know it may feel awkward at first, but I assure you it's for the best." said Sheik as he crossed his arms.

"Come out so we can see you." said Taavi.

All was still behind the screen, then Linka peeked out from the side slowly. She disappeared behind the screen again, she then took a deep breath and walked out to where they could see her. She wore the typical uniform of the Gerudo soldiers. Her uniform was orange with Gerudo patterns stitched into it with green and black to blend into the terrain. Linka was uncomfortable with her stomach exposed and made a vain attempt to cover herself. Taavi wolf-whistled at her before laughing at how uncomfortable she looked.

"It's not funny!" Linka growled at Taavi.

"Yeah it is." Taavi giggled.

"You look good," Sheik complimented.

"There's nothing battle-worthy about this thing!" Linka blushed.

"The Gerudo believe that in battle it is your skill that should protect you, not armor. To them scars are considered a symbol of strength and a life lived, and armor for those too weak to take what life throws at them." Sheik shrugged.

"Now we just need to do something about her eyes. Not a lot of blue eyes among the Gerudo." said Taavi.

"Very true, which is why you'll need to carry this with you." said Sheik as he produced a small vile. "This contains eye droplets that will temporarily turn your eyes amber. It will use up your magic to keep the color, so be careful. I'm also giving you this." Sheik said as he handed Linka a small pouch to attach to her belt. "You'll need to carry the swords the Gerudo guards use, the White Sword is too Hylian and will be a give away. This will help you store your sword so you can use it should you need it."

"How long does the color last before I have to use more?" asked Linka.

"It varies from person to person. Taavi will tell you whenever the color starts fading. Be sure to redo the color in a private place." said Sheik. "We'll head out in the morning. I've already paid for the night, so we can leave in the morning without delay. Oh, I almost forgot. You'll need this to hide your identity." he said as he handed her a small piece of fabric. "They'll see your eyes, but this will cover the lower half of your face. So if Cian sees you, he'll be less likely to recognize you." he said. "It's part of the standard uniform for soldiers to wear."

Linka stretched and flexed to see how the outfit moved. It provided a lot of flexibility, but it still felt odd to wear. She felt relaxed as Sheik played his harp and moved to sit beside him on the bed. She was having another urge, but she also felt suspicious of Sheik. He was so tight-lipped about what was happening and said nothing about where he stood on the current rift among the Sheikah. On the other hand, he was tight-lipped about everything. In spite of this suspicion, she still had an urge. She rested her head on Sheik's shoulder and placed a hand on his thigh. Though he tried to look indifferent, she did catch the flicker of emotion when she touched him.

"I saw that." she purred.

"Saw what?" he said.

"That the big bad Sheikah has emotions." she giggled.

"Do I?" he said he put his harp down. "What makes you say that?" he asked as he began to wrap his arms around her.

"Bleh," Taavi began to make gagging sounds. " _Really_? Do you two have to do this _now_? _Shouldn't_ we be planning for what we're doing tomorrow?" he whined.

The two ignored him and proceeded to embrace each other. Taavi growled in annoyance from being ignored and began to buzz around them. Sheik rolled them over so he was on top; he looked her up and down while gently moving his hand from her face to softly cup her breast. When the two refused to acknowledge Taavi's presence he resorted to pulling Sheik's hair out. Sheik responded by smacking him hard enough that he went splat against the window and hit the floor. Linka and Sheik paused for a moment and stared at the fairy on the floor.

"He'll be fine. He's survived worse-" was all Sheik could say before Linka pulled him down in a needy kiss; he was happy to comply.

Linka could feel Taavi's judgmental glare from under the window, but she didn't care. Tomorrow was going to be physically and emotionally exhausting. She had decided that should she have to fight Cian tomorrow, she would kill him. She had had enough of his games and the best thing to do was take him out of Demise's arsenal. Until then, she would enjoy herself.

The next morning they mounted their horses and traveled towards the Gerudo Fortress. Once there they met another Sheikah. Sheik talked to her for a while out of ear-shot from Linka and Taavi. The two talked for a while with the occasional glance at Linka. Once they finished talking the woman took the horses and went off towards the mountains.

"The Fortress is not too far from here. We're going to sneak into the fortress, and then I'm going to set myself up to get caught. While I take care of the hostages, I need you to take out Cian." said Sheik as he bowed his head. "Ghirahim has given him powers too strong for me; only the power of The White Sword can take him down. I know this is a lot to ask, but I have gotten word that he's gotten the gold power pieces needed for your gauntlets. You won't survive the temple without them."

"What are the chances of Ghirahim being with him?" Linka asked as a chill ran up her spine.

"He was last spotted at to the temple, but there's no guarantee he won't show up." answered Sheik.

"Don't worry Linka, I'll be with you." Taavi chimed in. "You won't have to face this alone."

"Let's go," said Sheik.

They managed to smuggle themselves into the fortress by hiding under bushels of produce coming in. Once inside they moved like shadows through the storage area and pressed themselves against the wall as they neared the entrance to the market. Linka and Sheik exchanged a look and nodded before Linka casually walked out. No one suspected her, but she focused on calming herself and looked around to see where to go next; it didn't take long to find the palace. She walked towards it and noticed Sheik vanish out of the corner of her eye; if not for her heightened senses she wouldn't have noticed him getting captured in an alley way a few blocks down. It scared her how silently someone could vanish with so any around, but she kept her eyes on the palace and to mentally prepare herself to kill.

Though she appeared calm on the surface, inside she was a nervous wreck. Dreaming about it was one thing, but actually doing it was something different entirely. She internally debated with herself on doing the deed; she wondered if he was worth this. She had only killed two people and the memory of them bleeding out haunted her. She barely knew the Dead Hands and it still horrified her from what she had done; she hated Cian greatly, but dreaded lowering herself to his level. Did her make her strong to face and kill the one who tried to attack her and drive her from home, or did it make her weak to want to kill him and shed her morals?

She snuck into the palace and blended into the guards with little trouble. She walked through the corridors almost robotic as she prepared herself to kill. She tensed up when another soldier walked her and subtly looked for where she could stash this woman to do what had to be done.

"Come, we're needed in the King's Chamber." she said as she waved Linka over.

They rushed to the throne room where they stood with several other Gerudo soldiers. She felt almost sick with fear when she saw Cian sitting on the throne; he sat quietly with a pensive look. He looked, overall, the same with the exception of the large amber pearl-like object that seemed to be embedded into his forehead. He still held the cold and cruel air about him he was so well known for, but he felt more dangerous than he had previously. Linka lined up with the others and waited for him to speak. The room seemed to become tense when he stood up to address them.

"Ladies, today is the day we've been waiting for." he said in a serious tone. "A Sheikah scout was caught recently and now is now being interrogated, but this isn't just any Sheikah. If he's here then we can safely assume the warrior, Linka, is among us." he finished, the whispers started around her.

"What shall we do?" asked the person next to her.

"I want everyone split into groups. I'll need one group to watch the prison to make sure we cut off any communication between them, the second group to patrol the palace to restrict Linka from getting in, and third will stay with me. I need her alive, so keep her restrained and conscious, if possible. Find her and bring her to me." he said as he walked past her.

As he began to divide the Gerudo into groups she felt a sigh of relief; if he was trying to prevent her from entering the palace, then he didn't know she was already inside. He walked past her a few times hadn't even given her a second glance. He sent a large number out for the first group, then many more with the second group, and Linka was part of the small number remaining to guard him.

"Be careful, Linka isn't one to take lightly; avoid a one-on-one fight if possible. Move about in pairs." he commanded.

"My Lord!" the Gerudo bowed before running to their posts. Bone-Pick, the bandit leader, walked in with his men after they left.

"Lord Cian, is it time?" he asked eagerly.

"Yes, Linka is in the Fortress. The Sheikah that has been traveling with her was caught, but there's been no sight of her yet." Cian stated.

"Very well, anything you want me and my men to do?" asked Bone-Pick.

"Yes, but first I'll need that Storm Stone the Zora gave you. After Linka, I'll need to take out that Mage that's been a pain in the ass." Cian said as he held out his hand.

"With pleasure," said Bone-Pick.

Cian took the strange green pendant that hung from a necklace of strange shells that clinked together as though they were made of medal and oddly shaped nuts. Cian looked at the object in his hands as though it were a powerful blade and smiled coldly. He walked past the women remaining and gestured for them to step forward; the bandits seemed to get excited thinking they were going to be rewarded.

"Arrest them," said Cian dismissively.

"What's this about? We're allies!" stammered Bone-Pick.

"Only in our hatred of Linka, but only one of us gets to destroy her. I won't tolerate competition." Cian waved them off as the bandits cursed at him while being carried off.

Linka was now one of 6 women left to guard Cian. Linka kept telling herself that she was a step closer to killing him; having fewer people around made her feel more nervous, even if they were enemies it still made her afraid. Cian casually placed the pendant around his neck before sitting on his throne. He reached down to pick up the large sword beside him and held it with both hands. The tip scratched the floor and twisted the blade slowly while inspecting the blade; he did so with a deviant twinkle in his eye. When a loud explosion went off he smirked and brandished his blade.

"I'll need you five to defend the hall outside. He's coming," Cian commanded as he gestured to the five women with her.

Linka blood ran cold as she thought of her opportunity to kill him drew closer. As the door closed she felt her blood run cold; the thought of the two being alone scared her. She reminded herself that there was still a good distance between them and Cian seemed content on his throne. Linka stood patiently to the side of the carpet leading to the throne halfway between Cian and the door. Linka listened for the others to determine when it was best to kill him.

"Go lock the door. Linka's close, I can feel it. I can't face her _just_ yet." said Cian and he nodded towards the door.

Linka hesitated for a moment. She wondered if he knew who she was, but he also had given no indication that he knew. Linka nodded and slowly walked towards the door. Her heart pounded as she neared the door. She picked up the large plank to block the door, the sound of it fitting into place pounded in her ears like large piece of metal falling to the ground. She calmly reminded herself that she could kill Cian without interruption, but still felt uneasy with the situation. She backed away from the door and turned to almost walk right into Cian.

"Alone at last, _Linka_ ," he purred.

Linka elbowed him in the stomach before digging her foot into his hip so she could stomp on his face to do a back flip. She braced herself against the wall and jumped to deliver and upper cut. Cian swumg his sword and she blocked it with the Gerudo blades.

"At last, finally you'll be mine!" he said half-crazed as he shook with rage and excitement. "I knew it was you the moment you walked in; remaining calm and sending the others out took every ounce of patience I had, but it was all worth it." he laughed.

Linka said nothing back; she knew better than to attempt to reason with him. She continued to block and parry his attacks as they became more aggressive. Her blades began to crack under the sheer forces of his strikes; just as they began to crumble under his might, she pulled out The White Sword and defended herself. In no time she knocked his sword away from him and slashed at his leg and sword arm to disarm him. He glared at her with hate as he clutched his wounded arm and knelt in pain. She raised her sword to strike him down, but couldn't bare killing him. She reminded herself that anyone willing to rape wasn't a person, but she feared killing him would make her just as bad as him.

"Showing mercy, even to someone she hates," chuckled Ghirahim from behind her.

Linka was hit hard in the back of the head and fell to the ground in a heap. She wanted to move, but her body refused to obey. She blacked out before she hit the floor.


	13. Dancing with Demons of Sorts

Linka awoke disoriented and her head pounded with a searing pain. She looked around to find herself in the middle of the market place at night. The area was lit with torches and the Gerudo were all around her. She could see a blurry white figure moving around her and knew it was Ghirahim; she didn't know what he was doing, but he seemed to be dancing and humming some tune she wasn't familiar with. She guessed he was performing some type of ritual and wanted out before he was finished only to find herself restrained to the ground.

"Just do it already, the guards will bring out your witnesses in time. Right now we need to get this done; I've made the mistake of underestimating The Hero before; there is no room for error this time." Ghirahim said with a smirk as he continued to dance around Linka.

"So be it," Cian grinned as he came into view with a knife.

Cian sauntered over to Linka and ran his fingers through her hair. She jerked her head to get away from him. This made him laugh softly before aggressively grabbing a fist full of her hair and roughly pulling her head back to expose her neck and bit it. She cried out in pain an tried to free herself as she desperately looked for something to pick the locks on the shackles with. She tugged on her chains hard enough the metal began to dig into her flesh and made her flinch. Cian stood up and began to address the crowd standing around them.

"Tonight you shall see the beginning of the end of Hyrule! Tonight, the bloodline to the greatest king of all will begin! He shall be so powerful that the goddesses of Hyrule will tremble before him!" Cian shouted to the cheering crowd.

Before all hope was lost, Linka felt a small tap on her hand to see Taavi there with one of Sheik's small thin daggers. He placed it in her hand and gestured for her to hurry while Cian was distracted. She quickly picked the locks and charged at Cian. Just as he turned to see why the crowd had suddenly gotten quiet, Linka's fist was just a hair's width from his face. He hit the ground with a large thud and the large object embedded in his forehead split in two and fell out; it left a horrible bloody mark.

As Ghirahim turned to face Linka, Sheik and a red-haired man jumped between them. The unfamiliar man was shirtless and his body covered in tattoos and scars; Linka assumed he was likely the former Gerudo King. He wore worn black pants and carried two large sabers; Cian at first looked surprised, but soon regained his arrogant composure.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't King Naburo. We're in the middle of something, would you mind taking a trip through the Wasteland? The Gerudo already _have_ their king." Cian growled.

"You wouldn't have beaten me if not for _him_. _You're_ strength is not your _own_." Naburo said as he prepared to fight.

"Linka, we'll hold him off. Use Bongo's eye to find the guide that will lead you to the Temple of Perception. Head towards the mountains and meet the guide at the post." said Sheik without taking his eyes off Cian.

"Oh no you don't!" growled Ghirahim.

Ghirahim charged at Linka, but was knocked back by the fire power of the Dragon Ruby when she punched him in the chest. He flew back, but flung himself forward in a fury the moment he caught his balance. He shot Linka and himself into the air with a platform of his creation and their fight began before the platform stopped moving; before she knew it, he vanished. She took a deep breath to calm herself and listened for where he could be.

All was ghost-quiet; Linka stood as still as possible. She slowly turned around to see where he could be, that's when he gently embraced her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her ear. He pressed his nose into her hair and took a big whiff while digging his nails into her shoulders hard enough to draw blood; this made her cringe at the creep-factor and more so than the pain. She twisted out of his grasp and threw him over her shoulder; he was toying with her and that made her all the angrier. He gracefully avoided colliding with the ground with some fancy acrobatics and faced her on the opposite side.

"Just give up you obstinate _wench_! I don't understand _why_ you even _want_ to defend those goddess worshiping worms!" Ghirahim sneered. "You were nothing short of a proper young lady in your town and Cian had a reputation for violence, yet they blamed _you_ for his attempting to rape you." he mentioned and smirked when Linka cringed at the word. "Think about it, you could destroy everyone that hurt you. As the mother of the new god, you could rule over the new kingdom and punish all who have crossed you. From the petty, like Malon and your aunt, to the cruel and manipulating, such as Impaz and Her Grace, you could have your revenge." he said as he stretched out his hand to her.

"You joined forces with _him_ -" Linka snarled as she crouched in position to fight.

"I'm doing what I have to so as to bring back my master, it was nothing personal." he growled.

"You said you hoped I wouldn't want to join you so we could fight." Linka spat.

"I did, but now all I care about is bringing back my master. What do you say?" he asked with a smirk.

"Why abandon Cian?" now Linka was curious, but knew better than to trust him.

"He's weak and cares little about fulfilling his end of the deal. All you want is to move on and live a normal life. I can give you that, all I ask is for you to bare _one_ child. What do you say?" he asked again.

Linka glared at him and bared her teeth; she resented him as much as Cian and wanted to punch him hard enough to impale him with her arm. Soon her fists were glowing from the fires created from the Dragon Ruby. She charged at him with a resounding battle cry as the flames engulfed around her gauntlets roared. The look of fear on Ghirahim's face was priceless.

When her fist made impact with Ghirahim's face, by an uppercut to the jaw, he flew off the platform and it disintegrated almost instantly. Without a second thought, Linka slapped on Bongo's eye, pulled on the Roc Cape and glided towards the rooftops. The spectacle was so grand that Sheik and King Naburo stopped bludgeoning Cian within an inch of his life to watch.

"What's she doing?" asked Sheik as they crowd watched in awe as Linka sprinted across the roof.

"She's not going to get enough speed to do what I think she's trying to do." said Taavi nervously. "Unless she plans to use the Dragon-"

When Linka reached the edge she used the Dragon Ruby's magic to launch herself into the air and became enveloped in fire. With Bongo's eye she could see Ghirahim in the dark expanse of the night. He stood on a small platform only large enough for himself as they battled midair. From the ground, the only thing the spectators could see were the streaks of fire created by Linka as she maneuvered about and the orange and white glow from Ghirahim. The crowd saw what looked like an angry sentient shooting star looking to slap the dumb out of a gigantic orange and white firefly as it savagely dashed around like an angry hornet.

With an audible crack, Ghirahim's platform shattered. Before he could fall too far Linka grabbed him and tossed him higher in to the air and shot up past him. While completely engulfed in flames she did a flip and power kicked Ghirahim hard enough that when he hit the ground, he bounced high enough that it made Sheik cringe. In the sky, with the Roc Cape extended and the flames around her roaring, she looked like the angry fire wingloft goddess of murder before she went plummeting down with intent to impale him with her fist. Ghirahim managed to roll out of the way in time, but just barely.

Linka hit the ground hard enough to make a small crater and get her fist lodged into the hard ground. Ghirahim stood panting with a smoldering hatred in his eyes as he gripped where her fist grazed him. He growled as Linka dislodged her fist while the flames still licked around her wrists. As the two locked eyes, the flames grew like her hatred for him as she stared at him with cold indifference to his pain. She began to slowly stalk towards him like a wolf when its prey is cornered. Ghirahim took a step back, when he turned towards Cian he hissed when he noticed the cracked head pearl; soon he smiled to show his indifference before looking back at Linka.

"It looks like our _Little Knight_ , has become a _Big Pain_. Very well, but this isn't over." he grinned before vanishing into thin air.

Linka just stared into the space previously occupied by him before turning to Cian. He lay on his back helplessly as Sheik and Naburo slowly backed away like wolves when an alpha approaches the kill, eye contact avoidance and all. Cian tried to crawl away weakly as his clearly bruised and bloodied body screamed in pain. Linka smiled when she saw the fear in his eyes. Sparks flew from her gauntlets as she trudged towards him. Her apathetic eyes locked with Cian's frightened ones as she lifted the White Sword skyward.

"Wh-what are you?" Cian asked in a frightened whisper.

"Cian, you may now _kiss_ the bride." she hissed quietly as she brought down her sword just before blacking out.

When Linka awoke she was in a soft bed with silk sheets. She heard Sheik's harp and Taavi singing along to the music in a language she didn't know. She slowly opened her eyes to see it was light outside and that she wasn't alone. When she saw the king and two Gerudo she moved to prepare for a fight, but stopped when the king raised his hands to show his lack of intention to fight.

"I wish you no harm," said Naburo.

"You've been out for three days." said Impaz as she walked in. "That stunt you pulled with the Dragon Ruby was as impressive as it was idiotic. You could have gotten yourself killed." she growled.

"Well, I didn't die, so there." Linka snorted groggily as she was still so weak it was hard to sit up. "What happened? I was gonna kill him, then it all went black."

"Your fireworks display drained so much of your energy that it was shear willpower you were moving at all afterwards. I must say, the fire wingloft show you pulled at the end would have likely killed Ghirahim if you hadn't missed; lucky for you, he was too injured to keep fighting." said Impaz as she crossed her arms and expressed the closest to excitement a Sheikah could physically show.

"What about Cian?" asked Linka, too exhausted to express anger.

"In the dungeon." Naburo said in a gruff tone. "As of right now, me and my advisers are debating as to whether to execute him or use him for seeds." Naburo snorted. "Will Princess Zelda interfere with us?" he glared at Impaz.

"Her Grace has said you may do with him as you please. All she asks is that you don't release him, ever." said Sheik as he closed his eyes.

All was silent for a moment. Linka felt at peace knowing that Cian was in prison with a group of people who hated him almost as much as her. She could tell Naburo, for good reason, took what Cian did _very_ personally and intended to get back at him in the worst way he could. She dozed off for a while until she noticed everyone looking at her.

"What?" Linka asked.

"What do you think should be done?" asked Taavi.

"I think I should suit up and get this Temple of Perception out of the way." she answered with half-opened eyes. She felt confused when everyone gave her an odd look.

"To be fair, she _did_ just conjure up enough magic to create a wingloft-zilla out of fire that could be seen from Hyrule. Not to mention she dove down to grind a demon lord into powder, just to miss and make a crater. For Fiore's sake, she hit the ground _so_ _hard_ her fist got lodged into the ground from the impact! She didn't break any bones or nothing!" said Taavi as he defended Linka's spacing out.

"Her Grace _did_ say she enjoyed the show from Hyrule castle." said Sheik. "Yes, people all the way from Hyrule could see it; everyone's been talking about it around the kingdom. Her Grace, though impressed, asks that you not go so overboard next time." he continued when Linka stared at them blankly.

"What do you want done to Cian?" asked Naburo. "As much as I want to destroy him, I understand that the Gerudo aren't the only ones harmed by him."

"And he doesn't want an angry fire-cloaked wingloft monstrosity to fall out of the sky to wipe out his tribe for feeling she didn't get justice." added Taavi. No one did anything at first, but slowly everyone nodded in agreement, even Naburo.

"Break his legs and make sure he never walks outta here. Other than that, I have no fucks to give." Linka said with a dismissive wave.

Naburo nodded to a guard by the tent opening, she nodded back before walking away. As she left another person walked in with a small bowl. Her red eyes gave away her affiliation with the Sheikah, but she seemed oddly perky. She plopped down next to Linka as her cherry eyes sparkled; Linka immediately felt suspicious of her. No one who has to work with Sheikah can be that peppy, much less any of the any of Sheikah themselves. The girl smiled brightly as she took out a spoon to mix the bowl's mucus green contents. She then lifted the spoon up to Linka's face.

"Say ah," said the woman; the 'ah' Linka was more likely to give would be while screaming. "Open up, it's good for you." the woman insisted, but Linka drew away in disgust.

"It's medicine, it'll get you up and on your feet in no time." she giggled, but when Linka made a gagging sound from the sight of it the woman became more Sheikah-like. "I said take it." she snarled, and Linka complied.

She spoon-fed Linka the medicine until it was all gone. The slimey mucus made her want to vomit, but the smiling Sheikah gave her the impression that if she did she would have to eat the regurgitated contents. Linka could tell the woman wanted to ask her something; after a few minutes it began to bug Linka to the point she felt she had to ask.

"What's your name?" asked Linka.

"My name's Gururu (female version of windmill guy from Ocarine of Time). I'm Sheik's sister," she said with the expectation that Linka would recognize her name. "He didn't say anything about me, did he?" she said with a dark tone that made Linka nervous.

"I said nothing because-," Sheik started.

"But nothing asshole! You meet a girl and don't say anything about your family! When I tell mom-"

"She'll say it was for the best and-" Sheik interrupted.

"-Oh hoh! You _clearly_ haven't been communicating with her in quite some time! I mean, come on! You _hog-slammed_ The Hero of Heritage and then say _nothing_ about your family? Mom's been chomping at the bit to know if you're gonna bring her home!" she spat at Sheik while Linka groaned as she face-palmed.

"I sent her a letter a month ago. I'm very busy and can't spend a lot of time writing home." said Sheik in a way that made Linka wonder if his facial coverings were hiding his blush.

"Seriously, why?" mumbled Linka; she thought the word 'hog-slammed' was a little vulgar. "How boring are your lives?"

"We can't talk about anything going on." Gururu whined. "Whenever we talk to eachother it's all like: "how was your day? Can't talk about it, yours? Can't talk about it." This one time, someone came back with a leg missing and when I asked them how they were they said: can't discuss it", when asked about the leg they said: "no comment." Gururu growled. "So when something juicy happens that we _can_ discuss, you bet your sweet cheeks we gossip like a sewing circle, ot men at a camp site." she grinned.

"Don't worry, it'll pass." Sheik said quietly.

"No it won't," Gururu whispered teasingly. "If you listen closely, the gossip stones giggle a little when either of you walk by." Gururu chuckled. "In any case, you should be able to go to the next temple by morning. Get some rest, you'll need it." she winked before leaving.

"What can you tell me about the temple?" Linka asked Naburo.

"The Temple of Perception is also known as The Temple of Doubt. It messes with your senses until you begin to doubt yourself and everything around you; it can be very disorienting." Naburo said while in deep thought. "Every insecurity, every sin, every self-perceived flaw will come to haunt you. Because of all you've done for us, we would like to return the favor by giving you three gifts that will allow you to go through the temple alive. Please accept them." he said insistently. "There's no catch, just use them well." he added at her hesitation.

As the conversations were wrapped up and agreements made, everyone began to leave and left Linka alone with Sheik. Sheik lifted the sheets and snuggled underneath with her. He began to kiss her as Linka closed her eyes to enjoy his being close. Before they could get too far into it, Linka picked up a small bowl and chucked it at side of the tent. They could hear the sound of Gururu cursing in pain; they went back to what they were doing as if nothing happened.

With Cian out of her life and having mastered her fire magic to the point of the most hardened Sheikah and demon lord being in awe, she felt that things were taking a turn for the better. As they were in coitus Linka could not help but feel they were being watched. She knew Gururu was gone, so it couldn't be her. Linka eventually brushed it off as a nearby guard. After they were finished, they snuggled together and were about to drift off to sleep; that when the muffled cries were heard from inside a wooden crate. Linka jumped to her feet with the sheets falling to the ground; fire erupted from her gauntlets and she prepared to fight until Sheik gently grabbed her leg.

"No worries. Just one of the Hyrulian Merchants Cian took hostage. We put them in crate to stop them from seeing you. It's nothing to worry about." he assured her and gently pulled her back under the sheets. He rolled them over to be between her and the crate. The muffled cries soon turned to thumping like someone trying to break out; the sounds died down and soon all that could be heard was Linka's slight snoring.

A few hours later Sheik woke Linka up after getting dressed. Before Linka could get dressed, two Gerudo with pearl-like objects on their foreheads entered the tent. Linka was about to ask them to leave, but Sheik slowly shook his head.

"Don't worry, they're going to prepare you for the ceremony tonight." he stated.

"This isn't a wedding, is it?" Linka asked and breathed a sigh of relief when he shook his head.

The two told her not to dress and began to paint henna tattoos all over her body. Once the henna dried the two helped her get dressed and escorted her to the Market Place. It was lit with torches and balls of light.

Naburo stood with a regal air about him as he raised his hand to silence the crowd. As silence fell the Gerudo tensed with anticipation. Naburo looked stern as he began to approach Linka; the two women with her bowed and quickly left her to join the crowd.

"Everyone, tonight we will witness the rare event of The Dance of the Spirits. As you all know, this dance is only for those with the courage to take on the challenge. Linka must dance to the music while dodging the orbs as they dance with her; by succeeding, Linka will be granted greater protection against curses and other magic spells. She will also be allowed access to the Temple of Perception; these markings are needed to be able to open door that only a chosen few may enter. Linka, The Hero of Heritage, do you accept this challenge?" Naburo asked in a booming voice.

"Yes," answered Linka. "What did I just agree to?" she whispered to Taavi.

"To spend an undetermined amount of time dodging those six orbs that are going to try to bludgeon you to death in a minute. Good luck and don't touch any of them, even in defense," he said before zooming off quickly.

The music began and the orbs moved in rhythm with the music. It started off slow and the orbs were easy to dodge. Each time they passed, the henna tattoos would glow in an eerily beautiful way. As the music sped up so did the orbs. Several would come at her at once and she narrowly avoided them on multiple occasions. Many required acrobatics Linka didn't know she was capable of until all six orbs were trying to hit her at once. When the music stopped the orbs began to slowly circle her like sharks before rays of light shot from them to connect to the other orbs. Linka was gently lifted up just above Naburo's head as the orbs began to orbit around her in a seemingly random pattern. The faster the orbs flew around her, the greater her henna glowed and dimmer the torches got.

As the orbs began to dim and vanish, Linka was gently placed back on the ground. Despite her frenzied movements to avoid the orbs, she felt calm and rested. Without doing so consciously, Linka began to slowly dance about. Linka was only really aware of her actions when her gauntlets began to sprout blue flames as the magic engraved itself into the metal. After a dramatic move, the flames were gone and only her glowing henna lit up the night. As the torches were re-lit her henna tattoos faded away and the crowd cheered at the sight. The king gestured for her to follow him.

Soon the place became a festival with music, food and dancing. Linka sat with Naburo as he quietly pulled out two boxes. The first box contained a power bracelets to attach to her gauntlets. He told her about how they would now give her strength to move any boulders in her path. Then he pulled out two small rings with an ice blue stone and placed them on her middle fingers.

"These are ice magic rings. I stole'em from the Zora Queen 10 years ago; she was very mad." Naburo said with a belly laugh. "After what you did to Lord Glacial; let's just say that bastard needed to be knocked down a peg." he said as he wiped a tear from his eye. "They'll let you use ice magic when you fire an arrow. Just focus on the magic and it will happen. I think you could do the same with your fire magic too."

"Not very practical to have ice magic in the desert." Linka laughed.

"It's the principle that counts," he snorted. "She said my tattoos and scars were ugly, and that my sabers looked cheap. So I called her flounder face and stole the rings. I evened the score." he shrugged. "So, what do you plan to do once this whole thing is over?"

"Probably go to Castle Town and find work, why?" Linka had a good feeling where this was going, but asked anyway.

"You could come live with us here in the Badlands. None of Cian's goons'll come looking for you here. Not to mention, we Gerudo value a warrior that has skills outside of combat. I've heard you're quite the farmer and an amazing horse breeder. We could always use more people, like yourself, in our tribe. Hyrule doesn't appreciate women like you." he smiled.

"That's very kind of you, but I don't think I'm fit for the harsh climate of the Badlands." Linka replied with a smile.

"Fair enough, go join the party. Just don't party too hard, you do _not_ want to enter that temple drunk. I would _know_ , I was once 16 and incredibly stupid. I was so intoxicated that I'm not sure the temple even _tried_ to do anything to me; everything was blurry, I couldn't walk straight, and the room would spin. It did make me afraid of stairs and large birds for a while, I don't wanna talk about it." he chuckled.

Linka went off to enjoy the party. Taavi soon perched himself on her shoulder after buzzing around in a confusing manner. He looked drunk, but still festive. He leaned against her neck and struggled to keep his head up.

"You ready for tomorrow?" asked Taavi.

"You bet!" declared Linka.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of writers block lately. I've thought about maybe writing some original stories and posting them onto Deviant Art or some other site, but that'll have to wait until I get those stories more ironed out. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to write.


	14. Doubt and Clarity

The morning after Linka awoke feeling refreshed. She looked to the side table to find Taavi sleeping in a cup with his arms and legs hanging over the sides and his head hanging back at an uncomfortable angle. Despite his small size, his snores seemed to be as loud as a full grown huma. She got an up close look at him for the first time to see what he looked like; when he's awake all she can really see is a ball of purple light, but asleep his glow was dim enough to get a better look at him. His skin looked very pale with straight light long purple hair cascading down just past his shoulders. He was garbed in a simple purple tunic with red pants and sandals.

On occasion he would twitch and it made her smile; she thought he was actually adorable when he wasn't running his mouth. She gently poked him to wake him up; he only moved to cuddle with her finger. When she leaned in to whisper to wake him up she could smell the alcohol on him. She wasn't sure if he'd drank that much or just bathed in the booze, but from what she him do last night before going to bed he probably did both.

"Come on Taavi, time to get to the next temple." she smiled softly as she moved her finger. "We need to get moving." she said as she lightly stroked his head with her other hand.

"Stop yelling," Taavi grumbled as he rubbed the sleep from his ruby eyes. "Where are we?"

"We're in my room. You drank like a monster." Linka giggled. "Such a light weight."

"Har har har, very funny." Taavi snorted before trying to sleep again.

"Oh no your don't. We have a job to do." said Linka as she picked him up and put him under her hat.

"Good morning Linka!" chirped Gururu as she barged in a nearly gave Linka a heart attack. "All ready to go to the Temple of Doubt today?"

"I just need to pack a few supplies, then I'm good to go," Linka smiled.

"You should change back into the Gerudo garb for this temple. There's a lot of magic traps and the markings from the ceremony last night will do more to protect you." Gururu smiled. "We're going to see you off today, be sure to bring Bongo's Eye. You're going to need it to see the Guide of The Wasteland."

"Guide of The Wasteland?" asked Linka.

"He's this grumpy old Poe that agreed to guide Gerudo to and from the Temple of Perception (or Doubt)." grumbled Taavi. "He likely hasn't spoken with anyone in a century or two, so don't be surprised if he's a little crude. He was an asshole in the fleash, now he's an apparition of one."

"Linka, we have much to discuss. It's urgent." declared Sheik as he slipped into the room, rushed Gururu out, and hurriedly shut the door behind him quietly.

"What's going on?" asked Linka with sight alarm.

"Remember that map I told you about? The one with the secret path into the Hyrulian Palace?" asked Sheik, and Linka nodded in response. "The Sheikah, Quartz, who was holding it had escaped and ran into the Wasteland. While you're in there, look for Quartz. It is vital that map not fall into the wrong hands. We're counting on you." said Sheik.

"What's going on at the temple anyway? I haven't been told exactly why that place is important." asked Linka as she crossed her arms. "What's in the temple?"

"Taavi, I need to speak to Linka in private." said Sheik in an even tone.

The two stared each other down for a moment as they had one of their non-verbal conversations; Linka hated those chats, she knew they were hiding something from her and she felt sick of being excluded. The two seemed to tense up; Taavi fluttered over to get into Sheik's face to silently challenge his authority. Sheik didn't back down and leaned into Taavi's aggressive assertion until the fairy backed down. With a huff Taavi flew out of the window. Sheik closed the window behind him and checked to make sure the room was secure.

"The temple wasn't just a place of worship; it's also why some of the leadership wanted to overthrow King Naburo. The temple is more-or-less a mine of a very rare precious material only found in that one cave of the Gerudo Badlands." said Sheik in a stern whisper.

"So, I'm being sent into a dark scary monster-infested mine for jewels?" asked Linka with a raised brow.

"No, it's for a rare stone known as the Timeshift Stone. There is much about these stones we don't understand, but we do know they contain power to perform magic powerful enough to move through time. As you can see, we can't let it fall into the wrong hands." said Sheik grimly.

"So, I'm going in to mine for Hyrule?" asked Linka with a hint of anger.

"No, just for the largest piece of it ever found. It's a small chunk, mind you." Sheik added. "Ghirahim has been trying to get a hold of it so he can alter the timeline to prevent Demise from being defeated." answered Sheik solemnly.

"Please, like anyone could ever mess with the timeline." Linka stated.

"Let's not find out, shall we?" he asked with a raised brow. "Change into the Gerudo garb, it'll help you transfer the magic from your markings. There's also a lot of beasts in there that attack through magic and the markings will serve you best when exposed to the air. Don't tell Taavi what those stones are; he's a fairy and will already be able to detect the power within, but he can't know that they're powerful enough to travel through time." said Sheik.

"Who was Taavi before he got sealed? Bongo's memory showed that he knew what name Taavi went by before he was unsealed. I know he did bad things, but all the hush-hush has made me curious."Linka asked as she narrowed her gaze.

"All you need to know I that he is now too weak to be the threat he used to be." said Sheik.

Linka groaned and moved to push him out of the room. Once she closed the door behind him she cursed under her breath on how furious she was with Sheik. She wanted straight answers, but he always answered in a way that managed to answer in a way that didn't answer it at all. With her belt fastened she walked out of her room. She saw Taavi coming towards her from the periphery, but made no move to acknowledge him.

"So, how was that talk with Sheik?" he asked in hopes of getting some information; she responded with a grunt. "I take it that it went as well as any chat with a Sheikah can go." he smiled. "Question: where do I hide when you're facing certain death? You have no hat."

"Knowing you, you'll find a way. Just don't go in my clothes. Everything is weird as it is and I don't need a boob-fairy on top of that." said Linka.

"How about a bandanna? It'll hold our hair back and give me a place to rest when you don't need me." suggested Taavi

"Fair enough," shrugged Linka as she put one on; once she tied it on Taavi went under it and got cozy.

Linka got some supplies she would need to survive the temple. When she approached Sheik and King Naburo she saw a wagon that with several men on the back of it with bags over their heads and their hands tied behind their backs. Linka looked to the King with a confused expression.

"These are the Hyrulians prisoners Cian took hostage. We're going to return them after we drop you off at the temple." said Naburo as he tapped the side of the wagon with his knuckles. "Since a few are from your hometown we figured it would be best to cover their faces to hide your identity." he winked. "Take these, it'll help keep the sand out of your eyes as you travel through the desert." he said as he handed her a pair of goggles. "

"Thanks" Linka said with a nervous laugh.

When she looked at the men she recognized the ones from around Faron from their clothing. People around Faron liked to stitch horses and local vegetation onto their clothing, men and women alike did this. One man on the wagon wore a shirt with trees from The Wolfos Cavern stitched into it; the bravado of being the one to go closest to the cavern opening meant many of the men having it stitched onto their clothes. Linka smiled sadly as she thought of her time there; she laughed a little when she thought about the time she had to dig through spider guts. She bowed her head in anguish when she thought about when she went into The Forgotten Sanctuary; the screams of the four sisters still haunted her. She hadn't realized it, but she began to shake slightly with fear.

"Linka? You okay?" asked Sheik.

"Yes, I'm fine." she smiled weakly. "Let's get this show on the road."

The ride went on for longer than Linka felt comfortable with. To think that someone from Faron could be sitting behind her filled her with dread. A chill shot down her spine as the fear that one of them might tell Malon they saw her; she wondered what he would do if he knew where she was. She still didn't know how she felt about Malon. Some part of her wanted to be in his arms; the other part wanted to rip his arms off and beat him to death with them. The idea of being face-to-face with him was a thought that made her feel nauseous. She found humor in the whole ordeal; she had faced giant spiders and dragons, but it was facing an old flame that scared her more than anything.

"Clear your mind, or the temple will eat you alive." said Taavi lazily.

"Does it matter? The temple's gonna do what the temple's gonna do." Linka shrugged. "How much longer till we get there?"

"Not much longer," said Sheik as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You thinking about _him_?" he said in a way to say he knew what she was thinking about, but not saying anything that the men behind them would know what they were saying.

"It's hard not to when my village comes up in the conversation." Linka said quietly.

"There's no shame in that." said Sheik quietly. "Before entering the temple it's essential you remind yourself; remember the past, live in the present, look to the future." he said poetically as he pulled her in close. "It'll all work out in the end."

Linka leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. She dozed off for a while; the gentle rocking of the wagon on the uneven road lulled her to sleep. The next thing she knew Sheik was lightly shaking her awake, that's when she noticed that she had drooled all over his shoulder. She jumped off the wagon as she blushed and tried to pretend she hadn't just done that. With a quick goodbye and putting on Bongo's Eye, she was good to go.

When she put on the eye she saw a large ghastly-looking poe in the distance. He carried a lantern with en eerie green glow flickering inside its glass case. As Linka approached he gave a raspy chuckle as he beckoned her closer. She walked up to him unfazed by how scary he looked.

"Where to, Hero of Heritage?" asked the poe.

"Is _that_ what they're calling me?" asked Linka as she put her hands on her hips.

"You're all anyone is talking about in the spirit world. Since you're the starting point of the next lineage, they're calling you the Hero of Heritage. Where to?" it asked again gruffly.

"You know what? I betcha the next heroes are going to get titles like _Hero of Time_ or _The Blue-Eyed Beast_ ; if I'm not going to be put in the history books I should at least get a cool title too." she pouted.

"Life ain't fair sweety. Where to?" the poe asked again.

"I'm looking for a Sheikah who wondered through here. Then I'm off to the Temple of Doubt." she groaned.

"This way," the poe stated before leading the way into the wasteland.

They walked for a while as the wind whipped the sand around them. From every direction they could see nothing but a wide expanse of emptiness. The poe would have been impossible to see if not for his lantern to guide the way. Linka could see why that Sheikah would come through here to hide something valuable; if someone were dumb enough to come out here they would likely never find what they sought and likely also die in the process. The last time she felt this miserable was when she had to explore Death Mountain without the Goron Tunic, but it was a different kind of miserable. She was again in a harsh environment with very basic equipment and searching for something she didn't entirely understand.

As much she as hated Ghirahim, he did bring up a good point. She asked herself why she was dealing with abuse she had endured for people who had already made it clear they would neither thank her nor give her any recognition for her deeds. She knew it was petty to want to be written into the history books for her deeds, but was it wrong to want some credit for everything she was doing? She could never go home, she couldn't go near bodies of water without the fear of the Zora, and she felt at times there was no one she could trust. She felt the Wasteland was a good metaphor for what she had endured so far; alone in a barren place with only a small amount of guidance and Taavi at her side. She looked looked to her side and saw Taavi struggling to keep up; the winds hurting his wings from its speed and the way it kicked up sand. She cupped him in her hands and held him close to her chest to shield him as much as she could.

In the distance they could see someone partially buried in the sand. Linka ran to them and placed two fingers to the woman's neck to feel for a pulse. She gave a sigh of relief to feel something and moved to help the woman stand; that's when the woman's eyes shot open and grabbed Linka by the wrist roughly. Linka tried to convince the woman that she was there to help, but the woman just stared her down with a scary and wide-eyed stare.

"Are you Quartz? I'm Linka and I'm here to help!" Linka stated as she tried to pry herself from the woman's grasp, but the woman said nothing.

Linka could not break eye contact with the woman's frighteningly large cherry red eyes. Dark magic began to circle them slowly like a python moving to crush them. Linka's mind screamed for her to run, but her body froze in terror. Slowly she was squeezed against the woman as the magic lifted them into the air. The woman slowly raised her other hand to gently embrace Linka's face and then brought her face close enough for her nose to brush against Linka's neck. The woman then roughly bit her as the magic forced Linka to relax into the bite.

Linka was terrified as the magic forced her muscles to relax, but in her mind she became more frightened by the minute. She could feel something course through her body like venom. Her head rolled limply to the side and she caught a glimpse of her wrists to see the veins take a blackish gray color. As she felt the woman's grasp loosen up. The more the woman's grasp loosened, the more pain Linka felt run through her body.

They slowly sank towards the ground. Linka's pain was intense enough she couldn't move. She closed her eyes and tried to sit up. She barely lifted her head before she laid back down. Taavi hovered over her nervously and called her name a few times. Linka took a few deep breaths before forcing herself to sit up through the pain, but kept her eyes shut.

"What was that about?" Linka asked through grit teeth.

"Your arm!" gasped Taavi.

When Linka examined her arm she saw an inky black and gray fluid moving through her veins and begin to stain her skin like a tattoo. It look formed a strange map of a terrain she didn't recognize and places marked with symbols she had never seen before. The pain was now focused in her arm and soon it the pain began to subside. Taavi buzzed over the markings, but whimpered in disappointment when it vanished.

"Well, that just happened." Linka panted. "What happened to-" Linka was about to ask about the woman until she gasped in horror at the mummified corpse next to her.

"Holy Hyrule!" Linka nearly screamed.

"If you're this freaked out by that, good luck surviving the temple." the poe rolled his eyes before moving forward. "You coming or what?" it asked, the two scrambled to catch up.

The three traveled in silence; Linka tried to wrap her mind around what had just happened. She would rub her arm on occasion to see if the markings showed up again. She tried to just leave it be, but she felt worried that these markings could become a problem later. Something in her felt that Sheik wasn't telling her everything about that Sheikah she was suppose to find, but that would have to wait until later.

"We're close to the temple. Use the Deku Emerald when you're done to return to the edge of The Wasteland; it'll save me the trip." the poe said.

Once they got to the Temple of Doubt the poe cackled and vanished without further explanation. Linka entered without any hesitation. She entered while drawing her sword in preparation for the monsters. She still felt self conscious about wearing the Gerudo clothes, and she felt that nothing about it was battle worthy. She could care less about them thinking less of her, all she cared about was surviving.

"Look out!" shouted Taavi; that's when Linka saw the fireball coming for her.

That's when the markings from the Gerudo ritual began to glow. After deflecting the fireball she grabbed a rock and chucked it at where it came from. She saw a small statue floating. She tried to slash it with her sword, but it was always out of her reach and began to shoot more fireballs at her.

"That's an Anubis!" declared Taavi. "It's only vulnerable to fire magic!"

With that information Linka tried to punch it with her Dragon Ruby magic, but it still kept out of her reach, so she began to fire her own fireballs at it. When she couldn't land a hit she pulled out her bow and arrows to fire a fire arrow at it. She felt a sense of satisfaction as she watched it crumble to pieces.

"What're we looking for?" asked Taavi.

"We're just here to neutralize a threat. Apparently it's a mine for precious gems and it's hurt their economy when they had to shut it down because of the monsters." Linka said.

"So we're here to do a favor for a bunch of thieves?" Taavi asked skeptically.

"Their king did give me a few nifty items to make it through. They've been pretty nice, so why not?" Linka shrugged.

The two continued on for a while without incident, except for the occasional fire keese. The deeper they ventured into the mines the more Linka felt they were being watched; she'd been on this adventure long enough to know this meant they were going to be attacked at any moment. Linka unsheathed her sword and prepared for battle. The _skritchy-skritchy_ sounds coming from all around her made her nervous. They entered a room where the stench of death lingered thick in the air. Linka covered her face with a cloth as the smell became almost too much to bear. Taavi zoomed further ahead and fluttered about nervously.

"Uh, Linka..." said Taavi as he examined something.

"What is it?" asked Linka.

Before Taavi could say anything several corpses began to move. Linka drew her sword and began to slice the corpses. When she sliced them, the pieces would continue to crawl towards her. No mater how much she broke them into pieces they wouldn't stop their pursuit. Linka fled and found dead ends everywhere she turned. She tried to go back the way she came in to find it barred shut. The hoard of corpses stalked towards her slowly and there was no way around them.

Linka gathered up fire power in her gauntlets and launched herself over the zombies and tried to get to higher ground. There were a few ledges that offered a temporary escape from the zombies, but she could only hold on for so long. When she looked down she saw the zombies she had smashed to bits pulling themselves together, sometimes they used parts from other corpses so they didn't all use their original parts.

"Taavi! How can I stop them?" Linka asked desperately.

"I see thin strings attached to them, and that could mean one thing." Taavi said nervously. "This could be where The Death Sword was stored."

"That's great, now how do I beat these things?" Linka asked in frustration. She didn't care for a history lesson at the moment, just how to not get eaten by zombies.

"Follow me! Its aura is subtle, but I think I can locate it!" shouted Taavi as he zoomed away.

Linka followed closely behind as they soared above the horror show beneath them. She flew from ledge to ledge, loose chain to chain, the same way she had moved through the woods when trying to escape the bandits. When she ran out of places to jump she pulled out the Rocs Cape and glided behind Taavi. The grunts of the zombies became more distant and the path ahead of them got darker. Soon the only light available to her was Taavi's light glow, he seemed to notice this and tried to make himself as bright as he could.

"Linka, there's a wall coming up and we're going to have to go into a steep descent." warned Taavi. "I'll light the way as much as I can, but I'm only going to have enough strength to get to the end; you're on your own after that." Taavi declared.

Soon Taavi began to glow bright enough as if the sun was peering into the dank tunnel. The tunnel had many sharp turns, pit falls, and near cave-ins as they sped through. As Linka briefly looked around, there was no way to walk back from the decayed bridges and cart tracks left behind from when the mine was in operation. Soon they entered a large room where the two of them could land and each did so roughly.

Taavi lay on the cold floor panting from exhaustion. A few crystals that naturally create light lit the room with an eerie glow. The sound of Taavi's breathing echoed off the ghost-silent walls. Taavi's light dimmed significantly while his wings fluttered weakly. Linkly cradled him in her hands. Taavi curled into a ball.

"You did good, get some rest." said Linka as she placed him on under her bandana.

She walked around in investigate the area and found very little, except for a large sword in the middle. Linka had a feeling someone or something would attack with that thing soon. She looked around to see what else was available to find a large stone on a pedestal. She placed her hand on the smooth blue stone and held it gingerly. She examined it at different angles and wondered if it was the timeshift stone she was told to find. Sheik didn't describe the stone to her, so was just going to grab it and let him figure it out. The stone wasn't enormous, but to call it small was a lie and she grumbled for a bit about it. She thought about asking Taavi, but since he was so weak from emitting such a bright glow and Sheik asked to keep it confidential, she decided against it. She placed it in her bag and hoisted it up onto her back; that's when she heard a sudden movement behind her.

"Bongo's eye! Put on Bongo's eye!" Taavi squeaked weakly as he tugged on her hair.

Linka got Bongo's eye on quickly and saw a strange horned being stalking towards the sword. Any doubt she had the right stone diminished since the apparent guardian appeared. She drew sword and charged with a loud battle cry; the being swung its arm out and smacked her back before lifting the sword into the air.

The horned being glided towards her with great speed and swung its sword with tenacity. Each sword swing seemed to take almost half of the room as she dodged each attack. She struggled to get an opening, the monster was very agile for its size. When it struck the ground hard enough to lodge into the floor, she ran up the blade and began to stab it in the head. The monster dropped its sword and jumped back in pain as it gripped its head. The being looked between Linka and its sword as it mentally looked for a way around her to grab it.

As it attempted to dash past her she pulled out her bow and arrows and shot an ice arrow at its sword hand to freeze it in place. The being tried desperately to grab its weapon, but its hand was too frozen to grab the hilt. Linka shot its other hand with an ice arrow and it roared in frustration. It soon screamed in pain as it forced its frozen hand to grip the hilt as its dying skin and icy bones tore and snapped to take its weapon. While the monster was distracted, Linka gathered up fire magic in her hands and set fire to it and watched in silent horror as it turned to ash. Its hate filled eyes gave her one last glare before emptying into a vacant stare fit for a corpse.

"Linka, Naburo put some talimen in your bag. They should be enough to seal that thing in place so its spirit doesn't chase us out." Taavi instructed in a whisper.

Sure enough, when Linka through her things she found talimen in her bag. She didn't remember putting them in there, but Naburo sneaking something in some how didn't shock her being a king of thieves and all. She wasted no time tying several ropes from the hilt to the floor from makeshift metal wedges she made and melted into the cracks in the floor. She brushed the dust off her hands and placed her hand on her other wrist to activate the Deku Emerald so she could escape the Temple of Doubt, but it only took her to a room she recognized from being close to the entrance.

"That's weird, why didn't it take me outside." Linka wondered out loud to herself.

"Linka!" shouted a voice from behind her.

When Linka turned around she saw Malon running towards her. Before she could respond Malon pulled her into a bear hug. She struggled to get out of his grip and took several steps back when she did. She had been told The Temple of Doubt was known to mess with the senses. The Temple of Reflection had played with her emotions by showing Malon, but seeing it happen again made her angry. The sad look in his eyes seemed real, but she kept telling herself to not fall for it.

"Linka, that Sheikah guy is using you!" Malon pleaded. "He's trying to get in between us, to discredit me. Please, you have to believe me!"

"Go away!" Linka shouted.

"What's going on?" asked Taavi weakly.

"Another illusion from a temple." Linka sighed as she tried to hide her eyes tearing up. "Why does this keep happening?"

"The Temple of Doubt finds your insecurities and uses them against you. You can do it, I'm here for you." assured Taavi without looking in Malon's direction.

"Wait! You have to hear me out!" Malon said in fear. "He's been trying to lure you into staying with the Sheikah, something about an heir for the Sheikah. You have to believe me! He's taking advantage of you!" Malon said as his eyes became glassy.

Linka stormed off and walked into another room to find herself back where she fought the zombies. The zombies that surrounded her this time looked like people from Faron Village and called out to her. She turned to run and climbed the wall to escape to look up and find Cian standing on a ledge. With a sneer he stomped on her fingers and she fell down. She braced herself for impact, knowing she was too close to the ground to use the Rocs Cape.

She hit the ground hard and was certain she had broken something. Her head rung with pain and the grunts of the zombies were all around her. A pair of calloused hands grabbed her and carried her out in a rush. She could hear Malon's panicked voice as he talked himself through how to get out. Linka used her Dragon Ruby to burn the zombies, Malon freaked out as the flames went up. Linka used her Deku Emerald again and took both of them to the entrance again.

There was some jerky movements as the person carrying her seemed confused. She tried to raise her head, but using the fire magic had sapped the last of her strength; she used a lot to ensure the zombies didn't come back. She felt the warmth of the sun on her skin and Malon place her on the sun-baked ground.

"Hey Linka!" chirped Gururu as she went almost nose-to-nose with Linka.

"Where am I?" asked Linka.

"You're outside the temple. You did good." said Sheik.

"That chunk was bigger than I thought." said Naburo. "Best get it over to Princess Zelda, can't be too safe." said Naburo as he and Sheik exchanged a knowing look.

"Where to next?" asked Linka as she sat up.

"To Hyrule, Her Grace wants to meet with you." said Sheik. "She says you have one more task before your mission is complete." he said as he extended his hand to help her up.

"What happened in there? There was _lots_ of screaming." asked Gururu in a bubbly tone.

"I thought I saw someone I used to know in there, it's a long story." Linka sighed.

They parted ways with King Naburo and made their way back to Hyrule. All was quiet except for the wheels clunking against the dirt road and birds chirping. Linka knew there was a chance that Sheik only stayed with her to get the heir into his tribe, but she also didn't know who she could trust any more. She kept telling herself it was only an illusion, but it was a convincing one. She leaned against the side of the wagon as Taavi snoozed peacefully in her lap. Linka tried to sleep, but something kept nagging at her to stay awake. Soon the gentle rocking of the wagon lulled her to sleep and the next time she opened her eyes it was night.

In the distance she could see Sheik sneaking off into the woods. She followed him quietly as he trekked deeper into the forest. Sheik was fast and she nearly lost him on a few occasions. Soon he stopped in the middle of a clearing. For a while he stood alone until Impaz came into view. Linka tried to get closer without them noticing; sneaking up on two well trained Sheikah was an impossible task she imagined would be given to someone that had angered the goddesses so that the person would be killed for their stupidity. She managed to get behind a bush and settled into the soil to prevent making any noise should she step on a crunchy leaf or snap a twig.

"Did she get what we needed?" asked Impaz; Sheik answered by just handing her the stone in a bag to conceal it. "Very good, how are things going with the heir?"

"We must give it time, I don't think Linka has picked up on our intentions yet." said Sheik quietly. What is the plan of Her Grace?"

"Her plan to to keep Linka close to the palace until a decision is made. She wants to see how far you've gotten with her, and to keep going as far as you can." said Impaz.

"What's been going on with the divide?" asked Sheik.

"Mostly under control, what of Cian?" said Impaz.

"Taken care of, King Naburo intends to make sure he's never a problem again." Sheik insisted. "Though he suspects there are likely to be another rebellion; I suspect that Ghirahim has been trying to infiltrate the Gerudo. Any word on what's happening with the Zora?"

"Not good, Queen Ralisia has been very uncooperative lately. She's determined to get the heir." sighed Impaz. "Her Grace is hoping you get Linka pregnant soon, because the sooner an heir is born the sooner this gets diffused.

"Would it matter?" asked Sheik. "Couldn't the heir be brought into any tribe regardless of the order the children are born?"

"Yes, but the sooner she bears children the more likely the other tribes will start to work with Hyrule in order to be in the good graces of the Hylians so when the time comes the wielders of the Triforce will be there for them in the future." said Impaz.

"When will Linka be out of danger?" asked Sheik.

"When she's no longer at an age she can bear children." Impaz stated apathetically.

"Should we tell her?" asked Sheik. "Let her know what's going on in that front."

"I'm sure she already knows. Wielders of the Courage piece aren't known for being smart, but I'm certain she's known this for a while now." Impaz shrugged. "How are things between the two of you?"

"Going okay, she still seems suspicious of my intentions. Taavi is sure to air his suspicions as often as he can." Sheik stated.

"It doesn't matter, keep with the plan." said Impaz before going off into the shadows again.

Sheik stood where he was for a moment. He felt someone's presence, but couldn't pin point where they were. He heard a slight movement from behind a bush and snuck over without a sound by jumping into a tree and moving from branch to branch. Once in sight of where the person would be he found nothing, but on closer inspection he found evidence that someone had been there. He had his theories of who was there; the distant sound of the Roc Cape confirmed this, he shook his head and thought of what would be needed to fix this so as to not fail the mission.

Linka had moved quickly as the meeting came to an end. Once she got confirmation of what she had long suspected, she needed to get somewhere quiet to think over what she heard. She used the Roc Cape so she didn't leave tracks and got as far as she could. Once she got far enough away she perched herself on a thick branch and leaned against the tree. She closed her eyes and softly hummed The Song of Storms as she slowly rocked her head from side to side.

"Linka, are you okay?" asked Taavi.

"Yes, it's good to have confirmation. I had my suspicions, but now I know." said Linka with a small smile.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Taavi asked.

"The only thing that has me spooked is now twice an illusion of Malon has been right. In The Temple of Reflection, the illusion said that he left not too long after I did and I find out that it's true. In The Temple of Doubt, the illusion tells me about Sheik's intent and now I know it's true. I don't understand why the temples have use his image to tell me these things." Linka sighed, she shed no tears as she recounted everything that had happened.

"You're not angry?" asked Taavi with slight surprise.

"He served his purpose." Linka shrugged. "I had an itch to scratch, and he was there." she smiled.

"That's cold," said Taavi. "I don't know if I should feel proud or scared." Taavi giggled nervously.

A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus, things have been crazy. I don't know when the next chapter will be posted, but hopefully it won't take as long. See you all after the next chapter! :)


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